I Can Make It On My Own, With A Little Help From U
by AristocraticAssassinLover
Summary: Inuyasha's betrayal, Kagome's newfound strength, making a living by herself...Wait....Not for long.  Her life might have been simple and less aggrivating if she hadn't been caught tresspassing on the Western Lands...Oh well No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk!
1. Prologue: Enter Sesshomaru

**Summary:**

Inuyasha's betrayal, Kagome's newfound strength, making a living by herself...Wait...Not for long. Her life might have been simple and less aggravating if she hadn't been caught trespassing on the Western Lands...Oh well No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk!!**SesshomaruXKagome** This is my first fanfiction so anything's welcome you like it leave a review, you don't tell me what I can improve on and I'll try to fix it, or if you prefer do nothing at all this is just as much for you as it is for me I personally don't leave a review on every story I read so I'm not pressing you too. Those of you that do though Thanx in advance…

**READ IMPORTANT:**

Also just as a side note I'M ONLY 13 turning 14 in a week so I most likely will NOT be putting a lemon if my mother ever found out -shudders-, so yea this is to get me started I'm just trying to get the basics down and improve on my writing so any things I need to improve on have to do with the plot or grammar or other such things…**Don't get me wrong there will be some fluff eventually in the story as it progresses so anyone reading just for that I'm sorry but this isn't the place for you…** But to those out there that love a good plot like me please read and review only if you want to I'm doing this to improve on my writing so I'd actually like criticism better but praise helps too. Sesshomaru will be talking to his beast a lot too. I will try to keep the characters as true to their actual personality as possible, but bear with me if one does something a little out of character to keep the flow of the story going. Hopefully this doesn't turn out too bad. **And just for anyone who care ****Inuyasha**** is my favorite Anime and you will probably realize that ****Sesshomaru**** is my favorite character and in no way do I hate ****Inuyasha**** I simply needed someone to play the bad guy in my story and he fit the part**** so sorry to all those ****Inuyasha**** lovers…**Well with that out of the way ON TO THE STORY!!!!...

Oh yea before I forget as I probably will in later chapters…

**Disclaimer:**

Inuyasha and his characters belong to the one and only **Rumiko Takahashi** And there WILL be some characters that are SIMILAR in other fanfiction simply for the reason I couldn't think of enough so they also belong to their **respectful authors** (hopefully I do them justice if you have a problem with them in my story simply tell me and I will somehow think of another and change it there will not be many and most will only have a similar name and in will no way match their personality) but any other characters I claim as my **own** and rightfully do so!!...**I KNOW I TALK A LOT BUT ****IT HAD TO BE DONE ****NOW THAT IT'S OUT OF THE WAY THERE WON'T BE MUCH OF IT IN OTHER CHAPTERS SO NOW I'M REALLY DONE ON WITH THE STORY!!!**

I Can Make It On My Own (With A Little Help From You)…

By: AristocraticAssassinLover

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast**

Prologue

Enter Sesshomaru

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"Why can't I lose him?!" Cried Kagome.

'It's dark and cold and I wanna sleep.' She whined to herself

"It's useless to run, you cannot hide from this Sesshomaru forever. You have been caught trespassing on the western lands, and will face the consequences."

Sesshomaru was gaining on her when the gods decided to show Kagome some compassion. It started to rain.

"Thank god for small miracles." It wasn't just rain thought it was a downpour.

'He won't be able to find me with his stupid nose now, and his eyesight can't be that good right now either. All I gotta do is make it to a shelter...I Think I see one up ahead'

Indeed there was a small abandoned painter's hut in the distanced. But when Kagome arrived there, there were holes in the floor from the termites eating away.

So being the klutz that she is...she tripped (looks like the gods didn't have much compassion)

"DAMMIT!!!" 'This is all that stupid Inuyasha's fault!!'

Ever since that life altering night Kagome blames Inuyasha for everything unfortunate to befall her.

_Flashback_

_"WE DID IT!!!" "WE FINALLY DEFEATED NARAKU!" "THAT BASTARD WAS FINALLY TAKEN DOWN!" "UNBELIEVABLE!" screamed Inuyasha's little group._

_Everyone was celebrating in their own little way..._

_Sango had received a broken leg thanks to one of __Naraku's__ tentacles while trying to help __Miroku__ fend off most of the lower demons. So she was doing some kind of weird_

_girly__ dance while seated on the floor which to everyone else looked pretty humorous..._

_Miroku__ was seated in a praying position probably thanking the gods for their assistance or something and leaving a prayer for his father now that his wind tunnel was gone..._

_Kirara__ was sitting near Sango enjoying her mistress's good mood for they are few and far in between..._

_Shippo__ was eating anything that had sugar in it from Kagome's backpack while coloring. He was also doing some kind of little dance..._

_Rin__ who had shown up after the battle (because of course __Sesshomaru__ showed up declaring he was going to slay the half-breed even though in reality Kagome was the one __to__ strike the killing blow) she was helping __Shippo__ devour the sweets and also coloring..._

_Much to everyone's amazement after cleaning everyone up from the battle she was reading one of those text book things saying something along the lines "Now that __Naraku__ is gone I can finally catch up one my __school work."_

_Even more shocking was that __Sesshomaru__ had seated himself next to Kagome and they looked to be having a somewhat civil conversation. At least Kagome trying __to__ strike up a conversation and __Sesshomaru__ replying with the trademark "__hn."..._

_And __Jaken__ well he went off to find food at least that's what everyone thought he was off doing..._

_Kikyo__ had joined the fight right at the end and had done almost nothing except purify a few demons here and there, but __Kikyo__ and __Inuyasha__ were nowhere to be seen._

_Everyone had tried to hide it from Kagome (except __Sesshomaru__), but it seemed she was the first one to notice._

_Finally after things had quieted down somewhat __Sesshomaru__ and his little entourage took their leave with many tears from __Rin__ and __Shippo_

_Then Sango said she wanted to go and look for her brother since no one had seen him during the fight. They all boarded __Kirara__ except for Kagome. She said she wanted to stay back and wait for __Inuyasha__. They were hesitant but eventually gave in with the promise they weren't going to be gone long. _

_Kagome waited and waited._

_A couple hours back it had started to rain. But Kagome being the ever determined __miko__ simply sat underneath her sleeping bag and waited some more. Eventually she had fallen asleep, grumbling about stupid __hanyous__ in her sleep._

_Close to dawn_

_Kagome awoke to the sound of rustling in the trees. She immediately switched to battle mode and had an arrow knocked in a matter of seconds._

_"In...__Inuyasha__ is that you?" she tentatively called out._

_It was indeed __Inuyasha__ but what she got as a reply was something she would never forget..._

_Inuyasha__ had lunged out of the bushes with __Kikyo__ hot on his trail and struck Kagome down. She would have been able to easily dodge the blow except she was so shocked that she didn't even feel pain. She only realized that her stomach was wounded when she felt dizzy and could feel the blood dripping down her stomach._

_How she managed to form a sentence after that was beyond even her. "How could you __Inuyasha__." Was __her__ only thought, she didn't even know she had said it out loud._

_"You made a wish on the jewel. The wish was supposed to be mine!" Kagome had made a final wish on the jewel almost as an instinct the moment she had the completed __Shikon__ no Tama in her hands. She didn't even realize what she had done until __Inuyasha__ had all but screamed at her that she had just made the most stupid mistake of her life._

_Inuyasha__ you know that I didn't do it on purpose." cried Kagome. The pain was now unbearable and she was on the verge of passing out._

_Just then __Kikyo__ spoke up._

_"This is not over the jewel anyways. What is done is done, but I do want my soul back."_

_Inuyasha__ then dipped his claws in some kind of black substance and carved his name on Kagome's back._

_"You will never be able to heal this scar it is a sign to show all who killed you tonight. You should be honored that I would even touch you let alone leave my name for all to see upon your broken body." That's when Kagome snapped._

_"Never." she had said it so softly that even __Inuyasha's__ ears couldn't pick it up._

_"What was that wench, do you have some final words?"_

_"NEVER!!__ Never will I die by the likes of you." Just then all of Kagome's dormant powers flared. It was so powerful that it was even purifying __Kikyo__ by the hatred she held in her soul._

_"What is this? It does not matter. We cannot approach you now but we will be back to claim what is rightfully mine" and with that __Inuyasha__ and __Kikyo__ walked into the night. Kagome watched until all she could see was the rain drops and all she could hear was the soft pitter patter of the rain hitting the ground._

_"Never will you get my soul __Kikyo__ and __Inuyasha__ I swear to the gods You__ Will... Pay..." She trailed off before finally losing consciousness.' She was so caught up in the moment that she never saw how __Inuyasha's__ eyes glowed an eerie red signaling that he had lost control of his demon, and obviously __Kikyo__ was controlling him because she was chanting under her breath. It seemed as if even the __kamis__ felt bad for the sky still wept long after the sun had risen and all was said and done._

_End Flashback_

She hadn't seen them since that day but that was mostly because any time she had even caught rumor of them she had changed directions completely avoiding any and all confrontation. She was sure they were out there and she would meet them soon but she would cross that bridge when she got there.

'That was the day I reached an understanding of my powers.' Kagome was just dropping off to sleep when the door to the hut slid open.

She knew who it was before he even reached the door but decided she was too tired to do anything besides it's not like he could do anything to harm her too bad. Maybe in the past but not now, not after everything she had been through.

Without even opening her eyes Kagome said "What do you want. Don't you know it's rude to wake people up in the middle of the night especially after you're the reason they went to bed so late?"

"You dare to address this Sesshomaru that way."

"I do if that Sesshomaru won't let me sleep. I can be very grouchy if I don't get my sleep."

Kagome then turned to face Sesshomaru and wished to every god in existence she had a camera for this was definitely a Kodak Moment. She almost laughed out loud but that would ruin the moment so she kept quiet.

There in the door way stood a soaked Sesshomaru with his mouth agape and his eyes wide.

No one has ever talked to this Sesshomaru in such a way. Not even the other ruling lords and ladies and yet this slip of a girl...' his thought trailed off

**I rather like it**.

'What?'

**Just like you said no one has ever challenged us in such a way I like it and you know you do to.**

'It is interesting we shall see where this goes I may just let her live if she is entertaining this Sesshomaru's life is dull, otherwise she has no use and I will dispose of her.'

His beast started to growl at him with that thought but he shoved it back into its cage. All through that Sesshomaru looked as if he had just found out the secret of life.

"You might want to close your mouth it looks most unattractive."

It was closed with an audible click and furious amber eyes looking back at her.

"You will address me with respect or pay the consequences for I am your superior."

"Ok Sessshomaru-_SAMA_. May I ask what those consequences might be?"

Her answer was Sesshomaru stalking forward and stopping right next to her with his foot on her chest.

'She feels no fear, _THAT_ is certainly a new concept'

"Are you quite finished now?"

'Time to step things up a notch.' Sesshomaru picked her up by her neck and she just hung there not even bothering to hold onto his arm, to support herself.

'She still feels no fear' "Why do you not fear me when your life is in my hands?"

'I wonder if he realizes that if he's shocked or extremely angry he doesn't refer to himself in third person, probably not.' Kagome mused.

"ANSWER ME." Sesshomaru sternly said for Sesshomaru never raises his voice.

"Oh right, umm...well you're not all that threatening so there's no reason to fear you. I can handle myself now and I don't wanna seem rude but you're really no match for me..." she trailed off seeing his eyes start to turn an interesting shade of red.

**She is challenging us she needs to be put in her place. **his beast growled

Sesshomaru immediately tightened his grip to the point where Kagome couldn't breathe.

Kagome tried to stay calm she really did it would be no good to purify the western lord, think of all the chaos that would ensue with all the lower demons fighting for dominance. ' 10..9..8..I can't breathe but I have to stay calm 7..6..5.. ok screw this he asked for it...' Kagome never was very good at controlling her temper.

Kagome blasted Sesshomaru with a wave of her power so strong it knocked him out. He may have stood no chance but he certainly wasn't easy to take down.

The blast threw him into the wall but not through it. Kagome decided to try to get some sleep before Mr. Homicidal woke up with very gruesome but creative deaths on his mind for her.

_About 4 hours later..._

Sesshomaru sat straight up with you guessed it...how many different ways he could kill Kagome.

'I can't believe she had the nerve to actually attack this Sesshomaru.' He tried to stand up but found that his body was extremely heavy.

'Yet another reason to kill the onna.'

**She didn't attack us at least not to hurt us.**

'What do you mean she threw this Sesshomaru into a wall and knocked him unconscious'

**Hai****, I know but do you feel any pain?**

'No, but that's not the point...'

**Do you feel _anything_ different?**

'This Sesshomaru feels…peaceful… How is this possible she threw me into the wall with her powers?'

**Because she didn't use her ****miko**** powers, she used her healing powers, try to move your left arm...**

'You know that half-breed..."He trailed off when he moved his left arm in front of his face.

For once both Sesshomaru and his beast were speechless...

Sesshomaru recovered first

'What is she??...'

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**A/N: Remember my B-day is in a week if anyone cares and please tell me if there's anything I can improve on…**


	2. Chapter 1: I Want Some Answers

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 1

I Want Some Answers

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

'What is she?...'

Just then Kagome started to cry out in her sleep.

"NEVER!! Never will I die by the likes... of... you..." Tears spilled freely from her eyes and she tossed and turned from side to side.

'What is she doing?'

**What do you think she's obviously having a nightmare and it seems to be a pretty serious one.**

'This Sesshomaru should...what should I do?...'

**For once the great lord is stumped.**

'Don't push me.'

**Whatever, it's not you could hurt me you'd be hurting yourself. You should comfort her, certainly you know how to do that.**

'Do not assume this Sesshomaru doesn't know how to do something, and why would I want to do that?'

**Are you truly that stupid protect her you saw what she was capable of while not even trying and drained from her run. Imagine what we could do with that kind of power at our disposal. Also she is different and strange and I wish to find out more about her...**

'For once this Sesshomaru agrees with you.'

Sesshomaru walked over to the girl and gently (if that's even possible for him) nudged her on the shoulder.

"Wake up girl."

**Be kind to her. You will get more bees with honey than vinegar...**

"Wake up _please._" he almost seemed to have physical pain at the word.

Just then Kagome shot up and screamed hurting the Taiyoukai's ears.

She threw herself at him while tears flowed like rivers from her eyes...

"Don't let him hurt me please." Five seconds later she seemed to snap back into reality and jumped from the Taiyoukai's lap.

"DON'T EVER TOUCH ME!!" She hissed...

'She has some serious mood swings'

**For once I agree with you this may be harder than I thought...**

Sesshomaru almost nodded to that but then realized how silly it would have looked.

"This Sesshomaru was simply trying to comfort you while you were screaming in your sleep. You should be grateful he touch a peasent like you in the first place." She ignored the insult.

"Yea right and pigs will fly."

'What does she mean by that?' Sesshomaru wondered. Not used to the modern lingo Kagome used (a/n Sesshomaru being so dense hasn't realized that the girl before him is Kagome...)

**I don't know just go along with it...**

Guessing correctly what she meant he replied,

"Are you questioning my word?"

"You expect me to believe that after all you've done that you would willingly..no...at all comfort me...how stupid do you think I am?"

"Does this Sesshomaru know you?"

Kagome just fell over...she sat up looking more hurt than anything...

'Another mood swing?' Thought Sesshomaru

"You really don't remember who I am?" Tears shining just below her eyes.

Sesshomaru took one deep breath through his nose to try to calm down when he recognized the scent coming from the girl.

Underneath the smell of her powers

'Almost smells like a thunderstorm' he mused

He smelled the calming scent of vanilla and lavender.

His eyes widened in surprise, 'IT'S HER!!'

At first he did not recognize her because of her appearance. Where there used to be an annoying little girl there now stood a wise yet young adult and dare he say it "beautiful". He could see her soft curves under the clothes she wore. She had forgone that indecent kimono she had called her school uniform, for a pair of hamakas and a haori, that were a dark blue, and matched her cobalt blue eyes. Uncommon in ningens. She was dressed simple but appropriately.

'Another Kodak Moment. That's twice in the same life span that Fluffy over here drops his precious mask of indifference, where's a camera when I need it?' Thought Kagome trying to cheer herself up but failing miserably.

"You're the girl that used to travel with my half brother it was rumored that he killed you and left you to the vultures."

"Wow looks like people didn't have a lot of confidence that I would make it." she muttered to herself.

If Sesshomaru had questions before he now was going to interrogate her for hours...

"Wench I have questions and you will answer them or you will not leave."

Even his beast flinched at that waiting for her to purify them or maim them or something just as painful.

But it never came much to Sesshomaru's relief though he'd never show it.

She just calmly sat down and said "What is it you want to know and I'll answer to the best of my abilities."

To say she gave up that easy and shocked him was an understatement.

For the third time in the 24 hours Sesshomaru dropped his icy stare and looked on in shock at the young miko...

(I should stop here but I'll keep going cuz I like you guys…)

"Why do you no longer travel with the half-breed"

Kagome recounted to him all that had happened after he had left with Rin and Jaken.

Again he was shocked but this time he caught himself before his mask fell.

**How DARE that half-breed treat her that way!**

Even back then he had held a tiny smidge of respect for the girl for her bravery and for Inuyasha to turn on his pack especially for someone already dead goes against all inu nature.

**He Will Pay!!**

'Hai, he will but for now I want these questions answered'

His beast grumbled but quieted down.

"How were you able to survive so long for I know when I left your powers weren't exactly trained and honed."

"Well that's where my first lesson came in 'Stealth and Escape'. I never actually got proper training because every miko thought I was hopeless. Over time I learned the difference in auras and all that stuff but for the first year of being by myself I became very adept at hiding from demons I knew I could never win against."

"Why did you not find the rest of your pack?"

"Pack?..Oh you mean Sango and Miroku. I wanted to prove that I could handle myself and I promised myself that I wouldn't go to them for help. I wanted to give up many times but I never go back on my word."

'Honor I like that in a female...wait where did that come from?'

"Once I started getting blood bonds my powers came to me easier. I think it's because their power mixed in with mine was easier to harness the power bit by bit, than trying to master all my purifying powers at once…"

'That makes sense...WAIT blood _blonds_. It is hard for a grown demon to hold one bond, yet she holds several.'

"What do you mean by blood bonds?"

"You know when you cut the palm of your hand and mix blood with the demon they leave some interesting marks. I got this one," she pointed to a lightning bolt on the upper part of her arm "when I saved the lightening tribe from the water elemental tribe they were at war with, and this one," she pointed to a water drop on her ankle "I got from helping the water elementals reach a peaceful agreement with the lightening tribe and this one," she continued pointing to different marks on her body explaining who she got them from and what she did...Finally when she got to about the 11th one she said it was her favorite because she loved the dove wings on her back claiming it was cute but couldn't recall where she got that one she gave up because she noticed he wasn't listening anymore. (Kagome is now 20 she traveled with Inuyasha and his group for a year and then was out on her own for 4 years).

"Those marks were not on your body before."

"Huh? Oh that's because I hide them. One time the lightening tribe saw the water elementals mark and they flipped out so it's better to show none at all."

'That makes sense. Now that she released the charm I can smell all the different bloods flowing through her veins. Just how powerful is she?'

Suddenly Sesshomaru stood up startling Kagome.

"You will accompany this Sesshomaru I have not yet finished with my questions."

'And I will get to spend more time with her lovely scent.'

His beast growled in agreement.

Kagome was mad that he thought he could just order her around like that.

"You expect me to just follow your orders like that, even though I am more than capable then taking you down."

His beast was clamoring in his chest for him to force his dominance on her but he calmly replied

"Yes."

"On one condition." Kagome said

"What."

"That you will answer some of my questions too."

"Agreed."

"Ok then well let's get going." she replied happily.

'I wonder if this is such a good idea she has some serious mood swings…No matter.'

Kagome was just happy that she was finally able to travel with someone with an IQ higher than a rock, every once and a while she would accompany village girls that were traveling to another village, but all they spoke about was how cute their fiancé is, and how pretty the flowers were. They didn't make for a very stimulating conversation. But most of all she would get to know some things about the enigma that is Sesshomaru.

And the girly part of Kagome that never quite died said,

'And he certainly has some pretty hair and a drop dead gorgeous face so the scenery's gonna be nice'

Kagome couldn't help but giggle in agreement.

Sesshomaru looked confused but simply pivoted in place and started walking to...wherever it is that he was going and Kagome following happily behind.

**-------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/N: Remember constructive criticism means a lot to me and praise too. Don't be too mean though…LOL whatever you tell me needs improvement tell me where in my story and what needs to be improved in a somewhat clear description for example don't just say "grammar" for that gives me NO idea what I messed up on…I hope I'm doing good so far…**


	3. Chapter 2: Going For A Hike

**Important A/N**: I have basketball camp in a couple days (I love basketball almost as much as Inuyasha it's my dream to make it to the WNBA) to those who care so I can't write for a little while but I will return so keep up with the comments and enjoy while I'm gone…On to the story….

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast**

Chapter 2

Going For A Hike

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kagome was doing well for the first two hour. She didn't complain and she was keeping up with the grueling pace Sesshomaru had set. Though that didn't mean she was silent in her head…

'Why does he walk so fast, his legs are much longer than mine IT'S NOT FAIR!!' she sounded whiney even to herself in her head.

Sesshomaru knew the silence wouldn't last much longer. Don't be mistaken he loved the silence but from past experiences with the girl he knew she couldn't keep silent, or still for that matter, for very long. He was surprised she had lasted this long already.

'It's only a matter of time before...'

"Sesshomaru can we stop now, _please!?! _I'm hungry and tired and thirsty and I want a bath…" He never even got to finish his thought. She was still complaining. He sighed.

"Woman cease and desist with that horrible racket." Kagome looked on in confusion.

"What noise?"

"Your voice." Kagome stopped shocked.

"That was cold." she mumbled to herself.

"Hurry up woman, this Sesshomaru does not have all day" He called back without even looking over his shoulder.

"Well _that __Sesshomaru_ is an egoistic, pompous, arrogant and all together stuck up jerk that needs to come off his high horse." she muttered to herself as she stalked up to him. He had heard her comment but decided he would just ignore it. No need to let her know how much it had actually irritated him. When she was walking at his side she slanted him a side look that was so cold it made him stop in his tracks.

'WHAT IS SHE?!?!" He thought frantically. 'to think she made this Sesshomaru quake fear with just a look, she is no ordinary human…miko….whatever she calls herself.'

**_Scary_ **His beast thought in agreement

"Hurry up Lord Fluffy this Kagome does not have all day." she giggled to herself at the nickname.

That got Sesshomaru moving again. He sided up to her and was about to start interrogating her when…

'Just what is that fluffy thing on his shoulder anyway? It could be a tail or overgrown armpit hair ewwww…or…..'

Her eyes were moving to looking at everything and nothing at the same time. Sighing he knew she wasn't mentally in the forest anymore she was in 'lala land' as she had so carelessly told his half brother while he was staring off into space. Sighing once again he resigned himself to walking silently beside her.

Things were quiet and peaceful for about a half hour. He was finally beginning to enjoy the quiet when…

"WHAT IS THAT FLUFFY THING ANYWAY?!?!?" was her sudden outburst. It didn't even catch him off guard he had been expecting something like that for some time.

Kagome had been pondering about the fluffy thing for what she thought was a long time. Every time she came up with something reasonable there would be a loophole in her idea. Eventually she just asked the question that had been frustrating her that whole time.

'I guess I have to answer some of her question I rather answer this one than any other deep personal questions she will probably ask me.' He thought defeated.

"That fluffy thing as you so casually put it is my Momoko-sama" he saw her about to ask again so he elaborated.

"My Momoko-sama is as much a part of me as my arm or leg, though I can remove it from my person or make it grow to whatever length I desire." he finished.

Kagome looked as though she had just figured out the secret to immortality which in her books the mystery she had just solved ranked right up there with immortality.

"Since I have answered one of your questions, you will answer one of mine."

"You could have just asked politely but that would probably cause you physical distress…"

Again he ignored the comment. But did give her a look that clearly told her in no uncertain terms to watch what she says.

"Where is your village?" That question threw her off guard.

"Wha…what?" she stuttered

"Do not make this Sesshomaru repeat himself…" he stated in his I'm-the-greatest-and-most-powerful-being-out-there-so-bow-before-me attitude.

'So we're back to the high and mighty attitude again well two can play at that game.' she thought childishly.

"That milord is a question I will answer only when you have my complete trust to which the people I have blood bonds with, have asked and I have refused to answer." she stated in a what she thought was a pretty good imitation of his attitude.

Sesshomaru was not impressed. It had taken him centuries to prefect his image there was no way she could copy it on her first try…Right back to the topic on hand.

"That's understandable." He knew she came from the future. How far into the future he wasn't sure but still many years after his era, he only wanted confirmation. There were periods of time were she would disappear down that old well in the area of his soon-to-be-dead half brother's territory, and the times she talked about her homeland and its wonders weren't exactly in the most secluded places or in the quietest voices. Don't be mistaken though Sesshomaru NEVER eavesdrops he simply abided by the first rule of all time during this era, "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." He had never even thought of using it against her it was just some interesting information to remember.

After another ten minutes of silence Kagome spoke…

"So where exactly are we going?"

"That is something that this Sesshomaru does not think you need to know." he was very irritated to see Kagome mouthing the words he spoke. How did she know him so well was he really that predictable?

"Yea yea, says you but I have every right to know since I'm here trudging alone beside you. Shouldn't I have some say in where we go?"

Her answer was immediate…

"No." She should have known by now….

"Ok well, if you don't enlighten me as to where we're going, I'll turn right around and be on my merry way." was her response. She was not in the best of moods not having slept all night and not eating all day was sure to do that to someone's attitude.

Sesshomaru's beast didn't like that plan very much.

**Do NOT let her leave!**

'Why do you care for her so much?'

**Are you truly that heartless**** after all she has been through and suffered you still ****say**** that…**

'That is not this Sesshomaru's problem.'

**You really are cold hearted, but just think of what you would be letting go if you let her slip out of your grasp…**

'Enlighten me…'

**Baka****…She is Beautiful **At this he scoffed

**You're just too stubborn to notice. She is kind, she is obviously educated and has information about the future that we could mold to suit our purposes, and above all she is POWERFUL and fearless. She stood up to you with nothing but determination in her eyes, and rightfully so she took you down with HEALING powers. She didn't have to purify to knock you unconscious. Other side qualities include honor, determination, self-****preservation,….**This is where he tuned his beast out to consider this new information. He had not looked at the miko's good qualities. He had observed that she was…

Annoying (that was top of the list)

Loud Mouthed

Rude

Whiney, which was only confirmed when she opened her mouth. "Where are we gooooooing?"

Again she asked the same question as if he hadn't heard her the first time. "North." was what he replied

She just huffed and ignored him ….finally….

She didn't need to know they were headed to visit the Northern Lord so 'renew' their alliance. She would probably complain about how boring it was or something stupid better to keep her in the dark. It was only about a two day hike from here so she would find out soon enough (he could carry her but she would find something to complain about probably about how rough his hands were from wielding a sword or something stupid, maybe he was overreacting but one could never be too cautious with her).

And the list goes on but now that he thought about it she did have some redeeming qualities that his beast had so bluntly put it. She was a walking oxymoron.

She complained a lot, but never gave up.

She was obviously afraid of some things for she had screamed as if death was on her heels when she saw the spider that was not bigger than her fingernail on her, but had squished it without another thought rather then ask for help which he thought she would do. She stood up to her fears.

She was extremely rude at times, but then at others she could be the sweetest thing alive. When she wanted to be that is.

She had made some stupid comments earlier that had no point or argument behind it like how she had said _quote_ "It's not fair that you're hair is so pretty. That's the only reason you have the right to be arrogant." _end quote. _He certainly had other things that gave him the right to be arrogant or so he hoped. But then he had seen her do some really complex equations. Not without difficulty, mind you (Kagome never did graduate with honors…) but still solved problems that would have taken him some time to complete, if he even understood it at all. Also her vocabulary was fairly decent. This he knew from some of the far more creative insults she had spewed from the noise maker she calls her mouth.

Everything she did, contradicted her last actions. In all sense she was an enigma.

A puzzle in every way that Sesshomaru promised to solve, no matter how long it took…

But considering the way she was smiling at him right now while her aura screamed agitation this puzzle was definitely one of the more difficult, and may take a LONG while. But Sesshomaru doesn't back down from a challenge.

NEVER!!!

Just what was she so mad about anyway….she opened her mouth…..he sighed…….evening was approaching……it was going to be a LONG night….

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**A/N: Hey to all those devoted readers thanks for sticking with me…**


	4. Chapter 3: Evening

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 3

Evening

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Apparently they had passed a hot spring about a mile back and she was currently bathing in it.

Of course he hadn't let her go willing and because of that he was sporting a fashionable burn mark right in the center of his chest. He was stupid to assume she wouldn't harm him after recently healing him. Well he was proved wrong in every sense. He also learned that her emotions have strong hold over her powers, when provoked she loses control. He also learned that she is VERY serious about hygiene. She hadn't complained when he told her not eat. She was a little cranky over not sleeping right away. But when he had told her they weren't going to stop to bathe she had all but flipped out…

_Flashback_

_"There was a hot spring about a mile back I say we go and take a quick dip__ of course separately."_

_"No."_

_"But…"_

_"No."_

_"Why not?__" She Whined._

_"No." Then she snapped_

_"Listen you big excuse for an overgrown lapdog, I have not asked for much but everything I did ask for you have denied me and this is one thing I will not back down on even if it means by force." With that she pivoted on her foot and started to stalk off __in __the__ direction of the__ spring when she walked right into a hard muscular chest…_

_"Move you big oaf, before I do it for you__"_

_"You dare to order this Sesshomaru around, you little miko,__ will go nowhere unless I say so.__" her eyes flashed dangerously._

_"You Sesshomaru have no right to tell me what to do and will treat me with more respect, or I will treat you with none__" That said she planted both of her tiny hands on her chest and sent a wave of energy at him. _

_This time it didn't even knock him unconscious but it did hurt more than any wound he had ever received and that's pretty damn painful. It left a sharp stinging sensation even after the initial wound was received._

_After her rather violent mood swing, she stalked off in the direction of the hot spring muttering some very colorful swears__ that would have done his vulgar half brother proud._

_End Flashback_

This left him to his current condition. Sitting against and old tree stump waiting for the young miko to return because though he hated to admit it he was in too much pain to even think about attempting, to retrieve the miko. Besides who knows what she would do if he disturbed her bath look what happened when he tried to avoid it…

_At the hot spring_

Kagome sighed in bliss when she lowered her battered body into the hot spring. Scrubbing off all the dirt and grime from the all day trek, she thought about the most recent developments.

'I have no idea what to think about Sesshomaru oh he's rude, and arrogant, but I think he really did _attempt _to comfort me when I was having the _nightmare_.' She shuddered.

Kagome then spent the next twenty minutes in the hot spring making a pro/con list about Sesshomaru.

**Pros**

**- _Can _be somewhat kind when he wants to be**** take Rin for example**

**- When denying my request he always has a good reason rather than saying ****just saying ****no**** like how he told me I couldn't eat because there were so many rogue demons in the area that I would become their lunch**

**- ….ummm…..he's cute…….**

**(Ok not many pros, but he's trying)**

**Cons**

**- He's arrogant**

**- Rude**

**- Self-centered**

**- Gives three syllable answers to many question****s**

**- Thinks he's Kami himself**

**- Loves to torture me **

Ok maybe she went a little too far with the torturing, but it sure felt like it.

'Oh yea that reminds me we haven't seen Rin or that stinky….toad….thing….What's his name? Raken or Frekan, whatever, _him_, at all yet and usually they're always with him I wonder where they are I have to remember to ask.

I should probably get out now before Sir Arrogant gets any angrier. He can't touch me physically unless I allow him to but there are others ways to get to me and I'm sure he'll discover what they are, and use them to the fullest extent.'

With that she got out of the hot spring and got dressed in a pair of baby blue short gym shorts that were way to short because they were old, and she had grown a couple inches in the last four years. On her torso she wore a pink baby tee that said "Forget It You'll Never Get It." across the front in big blue letters. She may not walk around in something as indecent as this during the day, but at night she was never with anyone so no one ever saw what she slept in. Tonight a certain Taiyoukai would, but he had made it perfectly clear he was in NO way interested in her body, which was a blow to her pride and didn't help much with her self-esteem issues but it didn't bother her much. She had given up on men long ago and didn't need any complications, which there surely would be if Sesshomaru held any _REAL _interest. He was only curious about her and look what happened, she was getting dragged across the western lands and heading somewhere north.

'Oh well at least the scenery is nice.' she let out a girly squeal with that thought. She never quite matured all the way that was probably her friends in her eras fault a.k.a the gossip queens. Every time she visited her era Ayume, Yuka and Eri always had the inside info on the hottest guys and biggest celebrities' most private secrets, she sometimes wondered where they got their information from, but always thought better than to ask.

When she got to her makeshift camp site, she dropped on a large patch of moss and just relaxed. She never did learn how to start a fire, and at first she did carry her big, horrendous, yellow pack. But eventually it got in the way so she decided to leave it at home, and settle for the more travel size cloth tied together to make a makeshift bag. She no longer needed her text books because she had passed high school with decent grades, but decided not to go to a university until after she was completely finished in this era. She felt she was still needed here for something, and didn't want her studies getting in the way.

It was summer out, but the night air was still a little chilly. She really wished she had learned how to start a fire. She must have been shivering, because Sesshomaru spoke.

"Why do you not start a fire?" He knew she was cold. Who wouldn't be dressed in that…that…attire if you could call it that? He was trying to ignore the urge to look at her well toned legs and arms from running around Feudal Japan, (it wasn't as if he was interested in her but he was a male, and all males have desires. At least that's what he kept telling himself) and was succeeding until she started to shiver and her teeth chattered. At the noise he wondered why she did not start a fire to keep warm as Rin did. He hadn't started one because the cold didn't personally affect him, at least not enough to cause him any real discomfort.

She looked sheepish,

"I don't know how." She said quietly

'How does she survive?' was the only thing Sesshomaru could think of.

He stood up so abruptly that Kagome had too, thinking there was danger.

"Stay here, don't move." He then stalked off into the forest.

"Stay here, don't move." She said in a mocking tone. 'Who does he think he is? Oh that's right **_Lord_** Sesshomaru.'

Kagome sat back down and was starting to drift off on her moss patch despite the cold when he returned ,and seemed to be building…a…fire….

"Why are you doing that?" Was her brilliant question.

"You are cold are you not?"

"Thank you Lord Sesshomaru." She said genuinely. She was surprised that he would do something like that for her.

Sesshomaru was confused by the fact that he was irritated about her calling him by his rightful title. When did he look at her as an equal? He sat down in his customary position with one leg stretched out, while the other was bent at the knee and his arm resting on the angled knee

**When she stood up to you fearlessly **his beast supplied for him

'Whatever.' Was his reply

He then realized she hadn't eaten yet, at least he hadn't seen her eat.

"Do you require sustenance?"

"Sustenance?..Oh no I ate some berries that were at the hot spring earlier."

"Alright."

She then surprised him by getting up and sitting right next to him and she was so close her knee was touching his own. Kagome was in a good mood just because of the one little good deed her 'Knight in Shining Amor' had done for her. After all he had saved her from ultimate boredom. Before she was wandering aimlessly, no she had a set destination and was grateful for that.

"Do you have any questions you wanna ask me now?" He thought about it, and he did but he was sure they would not result in her staying in such a good mood and his beast (and him he admitted to himself quietly) were enjoying it. Sure it was fun to tease her and everything, but they were most content when she was happy.

"No." was what he said

"Oh, ok then."

A period of comfortable silence passed between them.

"Hey Sesshomaru…" he sighed inaudibly to the human ear, she really needed to learn to keep silent how did she stay hidden if she couldn't keep quiet for more than five minutes?…

"Hai."

"Do you enjoy the stars?" She said while looking up at the sky with her eyes a sparkling blue. He was taken aback by the question.

"Where I come from the stars aren't visible, and I hate that. I love the stars so very much. Everything around me is always changing but every night I take solace, knowing that the same stars were watching over me last night, and the night before that. It may be strange but it helps me to cope with my….loneliness." she finished sadly.

What he did next was completely out of character and he would ponder it for the rest of his long life and his children probably would to. But his beast couldn't stand the sadness in her tone and was clawing at his insides to make it better. He wasn't too happy with it either.

He pulled her into his lap sideways and rested her head in the hollow of his throat.

"You are no longer lonely. Sleep." Was all he said and she obeyed, feeling content with her current life for once. Kagome slept better that night than she had ever, having the most wonderful dreams of a certain tall silver haired, amber eyed demon.

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**A/N: Keep those comments flowing…**


	5. Chapter 4: An Unwanted Guest

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 4

An Unwanted Guest

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Kagome was not in the best of moods right now. To top it off Sesshomaru seemed as if he was being even more of an asshole than usual. Kagome it was sure it had to do with something that happened this morning, but she couldn't figure out what she had done wrong.

_Flashback_

_Kagome woke up feeling more refreshed than she had in ages. She blushed when she noticed she was still in the Taiyoukai's lap. She thought he would've dropped her on the ground by now, but who was she to complain._

_After sitting still and quietly for what she thought was a long time (but was in reality only 4 minutes) before she beamed a smile so bright it could rival the sun up at Sesshomaru._

_"Good morning." She replied happily._

_He didn't answer. In fact it didn't even look like he was paying attention to his surroundings, he just sat there with a scowl on his face, which she only confirmed when she clapped her hands right next to his ear and he didn't even stir._

_"Hellooooooo…" She waved her hand back and forth in front of his face. Still no response._

_Now Kagome was starting to get mad. She didn't want to ruin her morning anymore so, she decided to go and take a bath while she could, before Mr. Dead-to-the-world came to. She was worried for him though. Sesshomaru was never caught unawares, and would have probably tried to maim her for what she had done earlier. But he was a big boy and could handle himself, especially if he was placed in immediate danger. When she got to the hot spring she eased into it and let all her stress wash away, at least for the time being…_

_Back with Sesshomaru_

_Sesshomaru had known when the miko woke up, and when she had waved her little hand in face but had decided to ignore it because he was studying himself fiercely. Two things had happened last night that should have never have happened, and he wasn't the least bit angry over it._

_First he should have never pulled the girl onto his lap. If one of his spies had seen him, many rumors would be spread and that would not have resulted in a very successful meeting with the Northern Lord. Rumors between demons spread fast._

_The second thing that should have never happened was that he had fallen asleep outside of the Western Citadel. One should only sleep in the safety of his home. He wasn't a deep sleeper and would definitely wake up if he had heard something even remotely dangerous nearby, but it was still extremely hazardous especially because of all the enemies and they had passed the western border long ago and were well into the northern lands. There were almost twice as many rogue demons on these lands, than in his._

_But the most disturbing thing of all is that when he had awoken a human girl was situated in his lap, and he hadn't felt the least bit of contempt or disgust for her. In fact he felt somewhat peaceful with her sitting there._

_'Why do I feel this way?'_

_**'Because you like her. 'duh'.**_

_'If the counsel finds out about this Sesshomaru interacting with a human…' his beast smoothly intercepted here._

**_'A human girl, yea, yea I know. The only reason the counsel doesn't allow us to interact with humans is because they are weak and defenseless. This 'human girl' is the exact opposite. She is much more powerful than us no matter how much you deny it. _**_Sesshomaru growled at his beast. **She would be more than capable of defending herself should any doubts arise. **_

_'This Sesshomaru will not become attached to a human girl; steps must be taken to ensure this. Physical contact with the girl is no longer allowed, as is her calling me anything but my respectful title.' _

**_You know she will not agree to this and contact is something she values, do NOT push her away Sesshomaru. You Will Regret It! _**

_'This Sesshomaru cares not what you think. Be silent unless this Sesshomaru summons you.' _

**_You WILL be sorry. _**_With that his beast stopped speaking. _

_'The miko is returning.' _

_Kagome could be seen walking through the trees, and came to a stop just a few feet away from Sesshomaru. That's when Sesshomaru started acting like the biggest asshole ever. _

_End Flashback _

"Miko, do you not understand about personal space, and how it is rude to invades one's space." He didn't even word it as a question. She was so shocked that he could say something like that after everything that happened, all she could do was stumble after him when he turned around and started walking into the forest.

After Kagome had recovered from her initial shock she was furious. She was afraid that if she did anything but count backwards from one-thousand she might purify him, or at least something that means a lot to him. Maybe she could purify Tokijin's aura that might teach him a thing or two.

'Left foot, 567 right foot, 566 left foot, 565 right….' Kagome thought miserably to keep her mind focused.

Sesshomaru was trying to figure out what this particular feeling was that, was making his heart weep. He almost looked down thinking he had an injury. The last time he had felt this was when his father had died, and it was nowhere near this intense. He knew it was because the miko was ignoring him. He almost broke the silence just to make this feeling go away, but held his resolve.

It was about midday when Kagome suddenly felt really happy. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. How could she feel happy when he was miserable? She had started to feel giddy when he had smelt wolf. Could they be connected?

It was because of the wolf.

Kagome had sensed Koga's aura a long time ago. Although she had no romantic interest in him, he was still one of her best friends and was now mated to Ayame. But he still joked around with that 'my woman' speech whenever they saw eachother. He was closing in and fast. It seemed like the jewel shards hadn't helped him out too much, for he was still pretty quick.

'3…2…1…' Kagome smiled…

"Yo."

"KOGA!!!" Kagome squealed when he picked her up and spun her around. She laughed happily. She really had needed this.

Sesshomaru watched all of this through narrowed eyes.

Kagome wondered why Koga hadn't seen Sesshomaru yet he was kinda hard to miss standing at least a couple inches taller than him. She had always wondered if Koga had tunnel vision.

"So how's my woman been doing?" Kagome slapped him on the arm playfully.

"Everythings going great. I've gotten more control on my powers and even found this really nice shop on the southern lands…." Kagome and Koga talked and laughed almost like a mated couple.

Sesshomaru knew what this emotion was and couldn't suppress it at all. Jealousy. His eyes narrowed into slits when the miko seemingly forgot he was there. He was unaware that she had mated the wolf cub. His beast was snarling in him, telling him to kill the ookami and take what was rightfully his.

"It was not mentioned that you were mated to this wolf scum." That seemed to snap them out of their cheerful mood. 'Good' he thought.

Koga looked like he had just noticed him for the first time. Kagome just scowled.

'Of course he couldn't let me live in my fantasy just a little longer.'

"Who are you?" Koga snarled

"Your worst nightmare if you do not remove your filthy hands from the miko this instant." His eyes were starting to bleed red so Kagome stepped in.

"You have NO right to tell him or me what to do, especially after the way you treated me this morning!!" She snapped.

Sesshomaru growled so viciously that Kagome was scared for once.

"Leave mutt face, you're obviously not wanted here." Koga growled though clenched teeth.

Too quick for the naked eye Sesshomaru had punched Koga in the face successfully knocking him unconscious, and he was about to kill the insolent whelp when Kagome punched him on the arm.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

"The wolf dared to lay a finger on something that belongs to this Sesshomaru; he will be dealt with swiftly." He stated evenly.

"NO! He is my friend!!"

"You are not mated?"

"Of course not Koga is mated to another wolf demon named Ayame." He visibly calmed when he found she was not lying.

"And another thing YOU DO NOT OWN ME I BELONG TO NO ONE!!!" Sesshomaru then lost complete control of his beast.

He pinned her to a tree with his body.

**"You DO belong to this Sesshomaru and no other will touch you unless I have given direct consent!"** He never raised his voice above a normal level but, his voice was deep and husky and downright scary. Kagome was scared not because of the way he looked or sounded, but beacuse he was withstanding her purification powers. His aura had expanded and overlapped hers, making her powers useless. She then acted on instinct. She bent her head to the side and presented the side of her neck to the livid demon above her. At this sign he seemed to almost completely relax. At this so did Kagome, she had really feared for her life.

Once the red started to bleed from his eyes he spoke, "You will never again act so rashly, you belong to this Sesshomaru and will act according to your station. You will address me with respect, and will come to me for permission for anything that I deem needs it, such as interacting with scum like him." He inclined his head to the still unconscious wolf cub. Kagome just nodded and replied with a quick "Yes milord." No one had ever been able to touch her let alone defeat her and yet he had brought her under control with what looked like almost no effort. She now knew what Sesshomaru was capable of and would not make another mistake like the one she had just made.

"Come, we leave." Sesshomaru spoke. She looked at Koga.

"Are we just gonna leave him here?" she spoke in a quiet voice.

At the look she received, she simply said "Gomen. Lord Sesshomaru." and walked a few steps behind him.

Sesshomaru hadn't wanted to instill fear in his little miko but if that is what it took to get her to obey his commands then so be it. He had felt rage beyond compare when she had defended the wolf cub. And even more when she denied his claim. For once his beast and himself had agreed on keeping the miko all to themselves. They had combined their strength to fight off the miko's attacked and it had worked. At this he smirked. She didn't seem so inclined to disobey him now. Now that he had decided upon keeping his little miko, maybe not as a mate but he certainly wouldn't let anyone else have her, she needed some new clothing fitting to her station. He decided to make a side a side stop at a seamstress nearby and get her a pair of hamakas and a haori, made in his house colors. His beast agreed wholeheartedly and rumbled its pleasure. The young miko oblivious to all this simply trudged along allowing her lord to lead the way. She would follow and obey because she never wanted to feel that kind of energy level again. Even after all that she found the bright side of it all. With his body pressing against her own she had gotten a quick feel of his hair and it was just as silky as it looked. She thought of all the different hairstyles she could use on it, but then felt envious of it. Sesshomaru watched and felt his little miko go, from happy to jealously and back to happy and many other emotions, from the corner of his eye.

'Maybe it wasn't so bad to bring her along, even though I will be a little late to greet the Northern Lord.'

His beast agreed.

If Kagome or anyone had looked at his face in that instant they would have either run from fear, or fainted at the beauty of the image of the great Lord Sesshomaru smiling. Not a death smile or an arrogant smirk, but a true pleasant smile. Together they could see the village that the seamstress lived in over the hill.

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**A/N: Make sure if you flame me that you give me a reason why you did so I can fix it…..**


	6. Chapter 5: Obediance Lessons

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 5

Obedience Lessons

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Sesshomaru and Kagome were making good time to the village when, Sesshomaru abruptly stopped making the unaware Kagome walk right into his back. She was just about to open her mouth and tell him just what she thought of that particular stunt when,

"I suggest you think twice before you open that, monstrosity you call your mouth." He never looked back.

Her eyes were a fierce electric blue. She was so furious; he could practically taste her anger. He didn't worry about it though he could sense her hesitation; she was still shaken up about the 'little' incident earlier. He knew she wouldn't be so stupid as to override her self-preservation instincts with anger, would she?

"How dare you speak to me like that." She hissed so venomously that it shocked Sesshomaru.

'Guess she would…' He thought sullenly.

"Miko control your temper, or would you like a repeat of what happened last time you defied this Sesshomaru?" He stated haughtily.

"That was pure luck, you had brought your beast under control. That is not a normal occurrence and I know that. You won't be able to do it again." She said with confidence.

She was both wrong and right. It was not a normal thing for a demon to be able to become one with their beast, that is because they are almost too different in personality and opinion that they could never work together. But when finding something that both agree on they _can _combine forces. This had happened when Inu-no-Tashio and his beast had joined together to fight Ryuukotsusei. They had both wanted their mate and son to live on, that is what gave him the strength to move on, even after given the fatal blow that should have killed him where he stood. Sesshomaru and his beast both wanted and _will _have the miko.

"Would you like to test that theory?" She seemed to hesitate as if to consider what might happen if she was wrong. But she was _so _angry. Kagome never did have complete control of her emotions.

Her aura flared. It was so strong, she glowed a bright pink with different colors swirling here and there showing where the bonds she had made connected with her soul. She shrunk back when Sesshomaru's eyes started to turn pink, but didn't give in. When his aura grew to almost twice her aura's size, her eyes widened and she for once didn't know what to do. In these situations she would either run or fight, neither seemed like a good choice right now.

'I can't outrun him even with the help from my powers, and fighting would probably sign my death warrant…' She thought defeated.

Her aura deflated and she bared her neck to the demon in front of her. Sesshomaru wasn't given the 'Strongest Demon Alive' title for no reason it seemed. Sesshomaru just had a smug look on his face. She wanted to slap it off.

He was glad that his miko had backed off and they hadn't needed a physical confrontation. He didn't want it to escalate to that. He felt so smug because he had felt one of the Southern Lord's spies following them. He had stopped to confront him, when he felt the miko's fury. He felt her aura flare, and the spy's discomfort. When his own had flared to the size it had, he had felt the spy's shock. But when the miko had backed off, he felt the spy's awe and how he then, took to the trees. News spreads fast between demons. Now all would see that he was not one to be trifled with and the miko accompanying him was not the best person to provoke. The spy would probably go tell all his little comrades and they would spread the word from there…good.

'Now that she understands who is dominant, there are a few things that need to be said'

"Miko." She snapped her head up at the sound of his voice. Kagome was wallowing in self-pity. After all her hard work and training, she thought she was at least able to take _Lord _Sesshomaru out.

'Another pipe dream.' She thought depressed. Sesshomaru was confused as to what had her so down, but decided to think about it later. There were more pressing matters at hand.

"This Sesshomaru will now establish some new rules, that he expects to be followed down to the last letter."

She glared.

"Rule one: You will _Never _in any form, shape or way, disrespect this Sesshomaru…" She bit her tongue.

"Rule two: You will show restraint when interacting with others; you do not have the best manners, and tend to overreact to many inconvenient things." She clenched her teeth.

"Rule three: You will never threaten this Sesshomaru again." She growled.

"Rule four: Never growl at this Sesshomaru unless you want it to be acted upon." She narrowed her eyes.

"Rule five: You will talk to only those I deem worthy and have agreed to let you speak to." She slowly counted to ten.

"And finally Rule six: You will go _nowhere _without my _direct _consent." She blew.

"Well your majesty, I will make sure none of these rules are broken." She snarled at him. She then stomped away, all the way growling and threatening to kill him in many carnal but creative ways. He didn't know she had it in her.

Kagome had saw a hot spring a while back and decided that she would soak to cool down before she did something she would regret.

'First I'll rip open his stomach, then I'll use his intestines to hang him from a tree, then I'll use that fluffy boa thing to cut off his air supply and watch him gasp for breath while I laugh manically at him.' This thought made her cheer up a bit.

Kagome arrived at the hot spring. She looked around to make sure the coast was clear of any annoying dog demons, before she stripped and dove in. Not caring that the water was scalding hot and burning her from the inside out. If she got out now the world might be less one miko or at least a dog demon.

_With Sesshomaru_

He knew she had gone to the hot spring and decided he would let it slide this once. She seemed to be very angry, and her powers react to her mood. Although he could overpower her, he didn't want to take any chances. Besides he had more important things to do anyway. He was approaching the seamstress's hut.

"Woman." He called out.

"Yes Sesshomaru-sama. How may this old woman help you." Replied an old and graying woman. Her skin was so wrinkled it rivaled a prune. She wore a simple kimono. It was a dark green with a koi fish that appeared to be swimming at the hem on the bottom. They matched her unusal hazel eyes not usually found in human woman. _Yes, _the great Lord Sesshomaru was asking a mortal for something, but this ningen had been making Sesshomaru kimono's ever since she had made one for Rin, while they were just passing through. Her skills were beyond what any ningen should ever hope to reach. No matter what material she used, wether it be silk or cotton, her work always came out elegant and durable. Rin had gone four months before needing another kimono and it wasn't because it was ruined. Rin had simply outgrown her old one, and he had went to the same woman to have another made.

"I need an outfit for another human girl. I want it to have….." Sesshomaru ordered what he wanted and the woman asked a question here or there, such as what colors, and what are her measurements.

"I will have it ready by tomorrow at dawn, you are welcome to stay in one of my extra huts at the end of the village for the night." He nodded to her once, and took his leave to go and collect his miko.

_With Kagome_

She had cooled down considerably and was now relaxing on the bank of the spring, the steam surrounding the area making it hard for any peeping toms to sneak a glance. Finally she decided she should head back to Mr. Overbearing and Controlling. She moved to put her clothes but took a moment to look at them.

They had once been pristine and beautiful. Where there had been no wrinkles at all there were now rips and tears. There had was a simple but beautiful embroidery of a sakura blossom on the edge of her right sleeve that was now complete gone because the whole right arm of her haori had been torn off to the elbow. The hamakas were in better shape for they were still whole, but they had more dirt and mud on them then when Souta had been playing in a mud puddle after a rain storm. Her boots were also in good physical condition but definitely needed a good scrubbing.

'I guess traveling with _Lord _Sesshomaru was rougher than I thought it would be. It doesn't help that he avoids all villages, so I can't clean my clothes in a stream. How does he keep himself clean like that all the time anyways? In fact after the battle with Naraku, everyone had at least one broken bone somewhere. Including myself, but he looked like he had taken a shower and just put on the same bloody clothes. His outfit was completely ruined, with blood stains (most of which she knew weren't his) and tears, and yet his hair and face escaped any grime at all. Even after it had practically rained blood and dirt. I have to ask what his secret is. I could make millions selling it to teenage girls. I would have paid big money for a product that keeps you clean no matter what. I can see the advertising now. Rain, Dirt or Heat, this stuff can't be beat. Never bother about your appearance again.' She giggled imagining Sesshomaru smiling and pointing to a bottle with his logo on it. 'Yea right.'

She dressed and headed back in the general direction of Sesshomaru's aura.

After about five minutes of walking she felt him coming in her direction. '5…4…3…2…1…'

"Girl." She sighed.

"Hai, Sesshomaru." He narrowed his eyes.

"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama." She tried again. _Bingo_

"You have disobeyed this Sesshomaru and for that there are consequences."

"Whatever." She mumbled. He ignored the comment.

"You will go without eating tonight, I have not yet decided if you will eat breakfast tomorrow. I suggest you stay on my good side."

"Hai." 'I don't want any more drama. I've gone without eating for longer periods of time, but I am hungry. What I wouldn't give for a juicy cheeseburger from Wacdonalds.'

"Come." Was all he said. And she followed certain she was walking to her doom.

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**A/N: Not a very good chapter but I felt it had to be written. Hope you guys like it so far….**


	7. Chapter 6: Enter:The Northern Lord Kisho

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast**

Chapter 6

Enter: The Northern Lord Kisho

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Sesshomaru had guided her to the hut on the edge of the village. He was starting to reconsider his punishment though. He had seen the petite miko staring at the food carts, like she was going to devour them on sight. It's not as if he was _not _going to punish her, but he may make some alterations.

'When was the last time she had a decent meal? She couldn't have had anything other than plants and berries, considering how she had given him the most frigid look when he had told her to go and hunt, for dinner. She had settled for eating…nothing…

'I know just the thing.' Kagome would have been scared stiff if she had seen the mischievous light that had enter Sesshomaru's eyes.

"Stay here. If I find out that you have been outside the walls of this hut, you will not like the consequences of your actions." Kagome just gave him a look, which clearly said "Whatever."

"I will be back before sunrise." With that said he turned and stalked right back out the door to the hut.

_2 hours later_

'I am _so _bored.' Indeed she was. She had just finished counting how many planks of wood it had taken to make the hut. After that she imagined what Sesshomaru's, kids would look like if he had mated Kagura.

'Why won't she just come out and tell him, her feelings? She's free now and has nothing to lose. Oh well.'

Finally around midnight she had fallen into a dreamless sleep.

_Dawn_

"Five more minutes mom." She mumbled. But still that persistent poking in her ribcage wouldn't cease.

"Girl, Wake Up." Sesshomaru said exasperated. He had been trying for almost ten minutes now, to wake the girl up. He had gone to an old ally that specialized in black magic for a special gift for the miko, and the clothes were finished too. Then an idea struck him…

"Girl, if you do not wake up this instant, I will allow you no time to bathe for the next week." She shot up.

"What."

'I knew that would work.' He tossed her a silk wrapped package. And a bag with some dried meat and blueberries.

"Eat and change quickly." Was all he said before he stepped outside the hut. He knew she would not take kindly to him being present while she changed.

She devoured the dried meat and berries in seconds, but she looked confused but decided to open the package. When she did she gasped at what she saw.

There was a beautiful haori that started with a light blue color at the collar, and then gradually darkened towards the bottom of the haori, ending in a deep blue. On the back was a scene of a gigantic dog demon that very much resembled Sesshomaru in his true form, sitting on a mountain top. He appeared to be howling at the moon. On the left side of the haori was a pattern much like Sesshomaru's, but hers had cresent moons embroidered inside of the shapes instead of sakura blossoms. The hamakas were a navy blue that had, what looked like ocean waves on the bottom of the legs. The obi was a ivory green that shaded into a dark blue. The outfit was _gorgeous_!

'He got something like this for me?' She was speechless. At first she was hesitant to change into such a wonderful garment.

'I would rather carry it around in a display case than dirty it traveling.' She thought. But a warning growl clearly telling her to hurry, changed her mind. When she was dressed in it she felt like a princess from one of those silly fairy tales. Then as an afterthought she slipped a sword that Totosai had crafted for her about two years ago into the obi. She had never felt the need to wear it before, so she had carried it in her bag, but she felt that with this outfit the sword will make her feel even better.

'I guess I'm in one of those silly fairy tales though.' She giggled and spun around a few times, just enjoying one of the few truly happy times in her life.

She stepped out into the sunshine and turned towards Sesshomaru.

"How do I look?" She asked giddily. When she didn't receive an answer she felt her spirit deflate. She thought she looked pretty but again, she was mistaken. But she was wrong.

When Sesshomaru felt her become depressed he whispered the one thing floating around his mind.

"Exquisite." It was so soft but she caught it and blushed, but her happiness went through the roof. When Sesshomaru didn't remove his gaze, she asked if she could go and stock up on some supplies.

"Hai." It was more of an automatic response; he was still stunned at his miko. She skipped off happily.

When the little miko had stepped out of the hut and asked his opinion, he was speechless. The colors of the garment complimented, and brought out her eyes and dark blue highlights in her hair. Although it was a men's outfit, you could see her subtle curves and petite waist. She looked absolutely _stunning! _There was something there that wasn't before. Then he remembered, there was a sword resting at her hip making her fit the perfect part of a Warrior Princess. He was snapped out of his daze when said princess had announced she was finished and ready to leave whenever he was.

"We leave now."

"Ok." She chirped.

_4 hours later_

Kagome was so happy that she had not spoken one word to Sesshomaru and instead gazed out into the forest laughing here and there at something a little forest critter would do.

"We are here." Sesshomaru announced. Effectively snapping Kagome out of her little fantasy world.

"And where exactly is here." All she could see was a valley that descended into a field of flowers. Then to her astonished eyes a castle slowly started to appear. When in finally faded into focus the gates opened and out stepped a handsome, 'He looks average compared to Sesshomaru though.' dog demon. "Welcome Lord Sesshomaru and," he spared a glance to the miko "guest, to the Northern Lands. I hope your journey went well." Sesshomaru nodded once and started to following the demon into the palace. Kagome stood rooted to the spot still shocked at the rudeness of the demon. He had looked at her like some piece of trash.

'That…that…that…CREEP!!' She screamed in her head.

"Come miko." Sesshomaru called after her. He knew she was angry, the way she was overlooked and decided he needed to do something to appease the situation.

"Lord Kisho, I think it is in your best interest to apologize to the miko before…a confrontation...occurs." Sesshomaru said to the demon in front.

'So that's his name.' Kagome thought venomously.

"As if I would lower myself to apologize to a lowly miko." Kagome exploded. She stalked right up to him and punched him in the gut, at fist charged with miko energy I might add.

"Listen here buddy; I am not some lowly peasant that you can bend to your will. I am KA-GO-ME, a name that you would do well to remember if you want to keep all of your body working and intact!" Sesshomaru thought about stepping in, but the rest of the lords and ladies needed to see just how strong his little miko was. All of the lords were currently gathered here to discuss the normal issues and were currently watching the exchange between Lord Kisho and his miko.

"Bitch." The Northern Lord snarled, and then drew his twin blades. He rarely used both, but this girl had crossed the line.

"Submit and I will make your death painless."

"Never will I lose to the likes of you." She growled in a damn good imitation of an enraged demoness. The other lords and ladies wisely decided to stay back once they felt the miko's aura flare.

Kisho lunged first, intent on decapitating the miko in one fluid swing. But to everyone's shock including Sesshomaru, she sidestepped the attack effortlessly and kicked the demon lord into the stone wall surrounding his palace. Lord Kisho was known for his speed. 'Her fighting skills are better than I thought.' Sesshomaru mused. Before he could even slide to the ground she was in front of him, unsheathed her sword and jammed it through his gut and deeply into the wall behind him, missing any and all important organs, effectively pinning him to the wall without killing him. When he recovered from the blow he tried to remove the sword but to his dismay he found that it had a sealing spell that not even he could remove.

The other lords then decided they would try to stop this madness, but had not even taken five steps toward them when she snarled,

"If any of you take one more step closer, I will purify your souls past the gods and into _OBLIVION!_" The only one stupid enough to continue to approach was the Northern Lord's head general Ozeki. He had not made it a foot closer before he was thrown back into the castle wall with her aura and knocked unconscious. She turned to face them.

"Does anyone else want to try?" Her voice was even but her eyes glowed a fierce blue that it was hard to look at them without flinching. When no one said anything she turned back to Lord Kisho.

"Listen and listen good, cuz I only gonna say this once. You will never disrespect me so openly again or you will find yourself wishing I would kill you. GOT IT!" She said through clenched teeth.

Sesshomaru thought this was an appropriate time to intervene.

She felt Sesshomaru approach her. He stopped right in front of her. He pulled something out of his haori but she was too furious to notice. She did notice when she heard a _click _and a weight settled around her neck.

"What is this?" She hissed while she pointed to the band around her neck. It was a simple silver chain that had a beautiful stone that looked like a sapphire in the middle of it. It looked like any other piece of jewelery during this time, but she wasn't fooled.

"I did not want to resort to this, but you left me no choice." She made to lunge at Sesshomaru but mid-leap she felt like her whole body was going to self-combust. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out. She dropped to her knees.

"Make it stop. Please." She cried softly. All the while glaring daggers into Sesshomaru hoping that it would do physical damage.

"You will rectify the situation and then I will see what happens next." She bit her bottom lip to keep from mouthing off. She drew blood with her efforts.

"Hai, milord. Just please make the pain stop." She never thought she would beg for anything ever again, but this was pure, undiluted torture. She had been stabbed in the gut and it had hurt a lot less than this. The chain was connected to the miko's power so the stronger her power the stronger the spell. Just incase she decided to undergo any hard training to try to outdo him he would be prepared.

Sesshomaru nodded and she felt the pain slowly but not completely subside, but she now only felt mild discomfort.

Everyone watched on in awe as Sesshomaru subdued the astoundingly strong creature that had taken out the Northern Lord in seconds. They now had a new healthy respect for both the girl and the Western Lord.

Kagome turned and faced the Northern Lord.

Lord Kisho being too wrapped up in pain to notice the exchange between the two, because the sword was wedged in between his spine, whimpered an apology and asked for his life to be spared, when he looked up and saw what he thought was going to be his murderer. At this Kagome seemed to considerably calm down and gently removed the sword holding him in his spot.

"I'm sorry." She said surprising everyone. "I don't usually lose control like that but I don't take be called a bitch lightly. It brings up painful …memories….." She turned back to Kisho who was still on the ground and rested her hands lightly on his chest. He tensed expecting the worst, but relaxed when she reassured him no harm would come to him.

"I wish to fix what I have damaged. You have four broken ribs and a fractured spine. I overreacted," She looked at Sesshomaru who gave her a look promising punishment in the near future. "And for that I give my sincerest apologies." A soft blue light erupted from her hands, and everyone in the immediate area felt at peace. When the glow faded she stood up and held out her hand.

"Let me help you." She said softly. He hesitantly took her hand and expected to feel extreme pain when he stood up, but was surprised when he felt better than before he had attacked the miko. When she was sure he was alright, she let his hand go.

She was too ashamed to look at anyone else because she had lost control so easily, but that one word. It hurt so much to hear it from anyone.

'It was Inuyasha's favorite pet name for me.' She thought while she choked back a sob. Sesshomaru gave her an approving look at the way she handled the situation.

There was a _long _moment in which everyone present was either too shocked, awed, or frightened of what would happen next. More had joined to watch the spectacle after they had felt the miko's aura flare. Everyone present included: The Southern Lord, his mate, his son and his most trusted general, The lady of the east, whose husband had met his unfortunate demise a while back, and her trusted advisor, Ozeki had awoken sometime while Sesshomaru was reprimanding the miko, and had called for Lord Kisho's other head generals Menomaru and Hakaru. But the oldest and wisest demon there that was even stronger than Lord Sesshomaru, General Tatsu a great and terrible dragon demon, who stood at, at least 7'2. He took no one's side and stayed neutral in any and every war.

It was Tatsu who stepped forward to break the oppressive silence. Everyone else seemed too scared to do so. Except Sesshomaru who was simply enjoying the silence and peace, because he knew it was going to be scarce from now on.

'And rightfully so.' he thought. 'Her power may even rival mine. Sesshomaru has certainly found a keeper.'

"Well are we all going to stand out here and day dream all day, or venture inside to discuss the matters we are all here for?" He said in a clear and even voice. This seemed to snap them out of their trances, because everyone turned to him.

"We all know each other, but our new young guest the miko has yet to learn even the names of anyone present except Sesshomaru." Tatsu looked at Kagome. She blushed.

'His stare is even worse than Sesshomaru.' She thought nervously. Everyone nodded their heads and turned to walk back into the palace. Kagome had started to walk but was halted when a hand was gently but sternly placed on her shoulder.

"Wait until the others are gone, this Sesshomaru would like to have a word with you." She trembled in fear.

'What could he possibly want to talk about? What if he didn't like the way I handled the situation. That chain he put around my neck must be what my punishment will be from now on. He can even control the magnitude of the pain I experience, like before. It still hasn't even completely faded. Please let him show some compassion.' As she finished her thought everyone had shuffled inside leaving Kagome and Sesshomaru alone in the courtyard.

"Your behavior earlier was not acceptable. You remember the feeling you had earlier." She looked at the ground but nodded. "There is plenty more of that should you act out of line." As if proving his statement the chain burned and a sharp stinging feeling erupted in her body. She tried to remove the chain but it wouldn't budge. It was just like Inuyasha's rosary.

"You will not be able to remove it. Only I can."

The pain was so intense she cried out.

"STOP! Please whatever you say, just please stop the pain." She whimpered. The pain subsided

"I will only use this as a last resort, should you completely disobey me." At this she relaxed.

"There are other ways of punishing you." She shivered and _not_ from the cold.

"Hai, Lord Sesshomaru." She had said it in a respectful tone, but the fire in her eyes had not dimmed at all.

'Good I did not want to break her spirit simply show her who is dominant.' He thought smugly.

"Come miko, I'm sure everyone will want to meet you after the little 'spectacle' you just gave them."

She responded, "Hai, milord." But her thoughts consisted or how many different ways to make Lord Sesshomaru die a most painful and slow death. Her favorite one so far was the idea of strangling him with his own intestines.

So as the sun was setting and the crickets were just beginning to sing, Sesshomaru and his little spitfire miko ventured inside, to introduce the miko to everyone. She had already proved herself in strength. The next couple of days proved to be very interesting. But most of all they were sure to be _extremely _hectic. They each braced themselves mentally and physically before stepping over the threshold and into the palace, efficiently resigning themselves to a long and tedious night.

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**A/N: Poor Kagome. It will get better for her really soon (hopefully) LOL. Just kidding I think the story is moving along nicely well tell me what you think. ****This was a pretty long chapter. ****Is it good? Does it s****uck****? I won't know unless you tell me for now peace out.**

Sincerely,

AristocraticAssassinLover


	8. Chapter 7: Introductions

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast**

Chapter 7

Introductions and Problem Solving

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When Sesshomaru and Kagome arrived in the reception room everyone else was already seated. There were two seats left open in between the Southern Lord's son and the head of the table. Sesshomaru walked over and gracefully sat down on the pillow closest to the head of the table.

'Figures, he wants to be superior even when doing something as simple as choosing a seat.' Kagome thought irritated.

Normally Kagome wouldn't care but the Southern Lord's son had kept giving her disturbing looks, most of them disgust, especially now that she had to sit next to him.

'I thought it was just dog demons that act all high and mighty but I guess that rule goes for bird demons too.' He was most definitely some kind of hawk demon. He looked mostly human except that he had feathers running all the way up his arms. 'Like wings.' He also had a few feathers tied into his bright orange hair. He didn't have a beak but his lips were so yellow, his mouth could certainly pass for one. And his eyes were a yield sign yellow. It hurt her eyes just to look at them.

'Well two can play at this game.' She shot him a dirty look, stomped over and plopped down on the cushion. She leaned over to his ear and dropped her voice to a whisper that not even the other two dog demons with exceptional hearing could pick up. Spending all that time around Inuyasha had been good for something.

"Listen bird boy, you don't like me and I don't like you, but if you give me one more, dirty look I promise to gouge out your eyes and feed them to my pet cat Buyo. He loves bird." She rested her hand on his knee under the table and gave him a small shock of spiritual energy. It was only enough to make his leg go numb, but he got the message loud and clear. He looked around to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened but everyone was listening to Lord Kisho explaining something about a ball being held in two days. He looked back at the girl with a new healthy amount of respect for the girl. She turned back to listen to Kisho too. But not after giving the bird demon a look so smug it would have done Sesshomaru proud had he seen it.

Tatsu spoke up, "Should we not introduce ourselves to the lovely miko…"he trailed off. All eyes turned to her.

"Kagome." She said timidly while blushing. She looked at Sesshomaru but he seemed to be enjoying her discomfort.

'I will NOT let him win!' She sat up straight and made her face a perfect imitation of Sesshomaru's I-don't-care look. He was shocked but didn't show it.

"Right, well Kagome I am Tatsu," he was huge. He didn't even bother to wear amour. In fact he didn't even wear a shirt. But he had strong looking scales that covered his body.

'They're probably stronger than Sesshomaru's amour.' She thought. He then gestured to the Southern family. "That is Lord Hiro," he gestured to the demon that was a spitting image of the younger bird demon, "and his mate Lady Chinatsu." Which was a perfect name for her; she had warm orange hair unlike the husband and son's, bright orange. She had soft yellow eyes and a pastel green hair. She looked like summer's representative. "And that," he gestured to the son "is Daichi." Kagome gave him a knowing look and shrunk backwards. They all had a bright red feather on their brows. He glanced a look to a large demon that looked much like a bull. He also wore no shirt. "That is General Hisao." It didn't look like Tatsu liked the demon very much.

He then pointed at a beautiful lady. She had long wavy blue hair and light blue eyes rimmed with silver. She was short even shorter than Kagome but still held her head up high. She had a water drop in the middle of her brow. She also had stripes like Sesshomaru's on her cheeks, but hers were pastel blue in color. "That is Lady Fumiko. And the demon sitting to her right is her most trusted advisor Hanako." She had nothing special about her. But she did have an air of wisdom around her.

"You have already met Lord Kisho." She nodded. He had tan skin and had no markings on his face other than the sun he had on his forehead. His hair was a normal dark brown, and his eyes were a deep forest green. On a human these features would have looked dull, but on him they looked handsome. "This dumb bear over here is his head general Ozeki." He received a warning growl from said bear and she giggled. He was a gruff looking fellow. He was stocky but not too tall, maybe a few inches taller than her. He looked like a big bear that was able to walk on two legs, like he never evolved enough to maintain a human shape, which was probably true. Ozeki gave her a rude look and she returned it with a glare that could rival Sesshomaru's on a bad day. He seemed to consider something and then turned his back to her.

'Damn every demon in existence is so rude. No wonder all mikos want to eradicate them...'

"Now that the introductions are over let us return to the matters at hand, since we are all present now is a good time to handle any problems on our lands." It was like they were all waiting on the cue. Everyone started to yell what they thought was important, except for Sesshomaru and Tatsu, they seemed inclined to ignore everyone present.

Kagome sat silently letting them handle their own problems but when Ozeki stated that the "stupid humans" were killing too many demons. She decided to put in her two cents. Sesshomaru gave her a look that said "Don't do it." But when did Kagome ever listen to him.

"Well maybe if your stupid demons didn't kill so many humans, we wouldn't have to retaliate." She snapped. They were all talking about petty problems that had to do with themselves. Not one lord or lady brought up that there was a rapidly decreasing food supply except on the western lands because all the other lords wanted tributes for keeping the land safe. She was tired and all the noisy bickering was getting on her nerves. She needed to go beat someone or more preferably a bear demon up. She stood up and walked out of the room. Sesshomaru thought about going after her but decided better of it.

She followed the sounds of combat training to Lord Kisho's dojo.

She saw a wall of weapons and approached it. The other warriors stopped training to look at the strange girl that just decided to walk in and disturb practice.

Kagome didn't see any weapons that caught her eye, so she drew her own sword. She turned around, her aura warning anyone with half a brain not to mess with her.

"Which one of you weak demons think they can best me in a sparring match?" They all looked at eachother and one stepped up.

"Like your even worth our time." She never moved but the demon flew into the wall behind him. She had channeled her powers through the air and hit him right in the chest. The others turned to look at him. When they found he was unconscious they turned back to the girl.

"How dare you!" One snarled. The rest lunged.

'This is gonna be fun.' She thought with anticipation. 'Come and get me.'

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A/N: Not a very good chapter but I needed to get the intros out of the way and Kagome needed a way to finally get some of her stress out. This is more of a filler chapter. I promise the next chapter will be _a lot _better. Until next time…

AristocraticAssassinLover


	9. Chapter 8: Never Underestimate The Miko!

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 8

Never Underestimate The Miko!

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"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?!" shrieked Lord Kisho. The inside of his dojo looked like a massacre except the victims were still alive. All of his warriors were either unconscious, too wounded to move, or just choosing it was safer to play dead with the miko still in the area. Kagome stood in the middle of the chaos, drenched in blood from head to toe. But a quick sniff and you would realize that _none _of it was hers.

"If this is the northern lands protection, then I'm surprised they haven't been overtaken yet." She stated calmly, almost bored. Everyone had gathered at the loud noise and was looking on in awe, all except Sesshomaru that is. He was extremely proud of his miko. She had taken out all of the northern soldiers, and had not received a single scratch in return.

"How?" They all whispered…

_Flashback_

_Kagome looked on in boredom. Sure there were a lot of them, but that was their only advantage. She could have easily purified all of them where they stood._

_'But I can't do that, Lord Kisho would have a cow.' She thought depressed. 'Well I just have to make sure to break a couple extra bones to compensate. I need the workout anyway.' She cheered up some._

_"You will pay, pathetic ningen" A horse demon roared._

_"Yea, yea I heard that one before. If your gonna taunt me you gotta have some originality, or else it's no fun." That seemed to set them off. They had all charged at once. That's where they made their first mistake. They had underestimated her speed. _

_She had weaved in and out of them to get to the edge of the swarm. By the time they had noticed they had not been able to stop their momentum and many of them had struck their own comrades down, because they had charged from all directions. But their quick reflexes had only wounded their comrades not killed them._

_'Too bad.' She had hoped._

_When one of the demon warriors had finally spotted her they had all charged again._

_'You think they would learn the first time…' She again moved towards the edge of the dojo, but this time she took some of the soldiers down as she moved past them. She stabbed a couple of them in the gut with her hidden dagger and had cut a tiger demon's long beautiful hair for fun._

_'Serves him right. His hair can't be prettier than mine and live to tell the tale.' She giggled._

_Apparently the tiger demon took great pride in his hair because he then transformed into his true form. It was not much bigger than a normal tiger's body. He charged. When he got within arms length Kagome had jumped on his back._

_'I've always wanted to ride a horse, but this is just crazy.' She thought amused._

_The demon bucked to try to shake her off but her hold was too strong and it only ended up pulling more of his hair out so eventually he stopped. _

_When he finally ceased, she guided him much like a horse, through the crowd of demons. She had sheathed her sword so she could hold on with both hands. As she passed by the demons she would hit pressure points of chop them in the back of the neck, knocking them out. She decided she would try a move she saw in an American movie and cracked to soldiers' heads together that were standing close to each other._

_'Looks like it worked.' She mused when they slumped to the ground. There were only four warriors left after this so she decided to forgo her travel companion. As soon she had got off, he changed back to his normal form and ran off crying about his hair._

_"Baby." She said as he left._

_There was a boar demon,__'Much like the Lord Hiro's general.' She thought. A panther demon, a snake demon, and another large but not as scary dragon demon were all that were left. She had long ago taken out the generals. All the demons except the dragon had drawn their weapons but after some well placed kicks and a dagger in the arm of a panther demon, (leaving him writhing on the floor in pain, he was obviously new to this because if that was his highest pain tolerance he would never last out in battle.) the only opponent left was the dragon demon. He just watched her for about six minutes, then he drew his sword. It was about three times the size of hers and had youki pouring out of it in waves._

_'Finally. He has a pretty powerful sword, this should be interesting.' She smiled. The demon would never show it but he was scared after seeing that smile and he had been to battle many times before. She then drew her sword. They clashed blades a few times and Kagome realized it was a VERY heavy sword._

_'Too heavy for him. That's why he didn't want to use it.' His arm was slowly lowering to the floor and he looked to be struggling to hold it up. He rarely used his sword. It was not heavy in actual weight but the amount of youki in it weighed it down quite a lot. He still had not mastered his own. Kagome dashed towards him and disarmed him before he could even blink. She placed her sword at his throat._

_"Yield." Was all she said._

_"No." Was his reply. He gripped her sword by the blade and threw it away from her. She was shocked and almost missed the punch aimed for her head, but she smoothly dodged it and countered with a kick to the legs. He toppled over._

_'He was heavy too and hadn't distributed his weight evenly…oh well….' She withdrew her dagger from a demon nearby and again told him,_

_"Yield." The dragon looked for any openings in her offence but found none. Even the blade was too small for him to grip and remove._

_"Hai." She got off of him, and held out her hand. He took it._

_"Good match." She said to try to lighten the mood not caring she had just defeated ranks of warriors without so much as a scratch._

_"Hai, you are a very formidable opponent." He then turned tail and left saying he didn't want to stick around and see what his lordship would have to say to this madness for he could feel him approaching._

_Lord Kisho had walked through the door not a moment later._

_"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?!?"_

_End Flashback_

"Your warriors need to learn how to work together. Alone they are formidable, but together they suck. They also need to control their temper." With that said she walked right past the horror stricken lord and through the doors, retrieving her sword on the way out, feeling much happier now that she had gotten rid of most of her stress. The others just watched her go asking the soldiers that now deemed it safe to move what had happened, but one figure in white silently followed her curious as to what she was doing.

Apparently she was tired because she had found the gardens, walked to the very far back where there was a bridge, had slipped underneath it and had fallen asleep.

'The battle must have taken more out of me than I thought.' Was her last conscious thought.

Sesshomaru sat down next to her watching her sleep, or what he thought was a sleeping miko.

She was not sleeping, she had awoken as soon as she had felt another aura on instinct. She had then realized it was Sesshomaru's. She thought about confronting him, but all she wanted right now was….to…sleep. She drifted off content to know that he would be watching her.

(I should leave you guys here but I'm bored so I'll keep going…)

Around dusk she woke up and Sesshomaru was still there but he was staring off into space.

'What is he thinking about I wonder.' Sesshomaru was thinking about his home. He had not been to the Citadel in months. The last time he had been there was when he had dropped Rin off and ordered Jaken to watch her. And even then it was a passing visit. Yes, the great Western Lord was homesick. But his lands needed to be patrolled now that , that abomination that called himself a hanyou was gone.

Kagome watched him for a long while. Watching as much of his face as she could see because it was dark out. When it started to get chilly she shivered, this brought Sesshomaru back to reality.

"You are cold." He asked.

'How does he make everything sound like a statement?' "Hai, a little."

"We will go inside now." He stood and Kagome was about to when he crouched down and scooped her up bridal style. 3….2….1…. Kagome blushed.

"I can walk on my own you know."

"Hai."

"You can put me down you know."

"Hai."

"Are you going to put me down?"

"No."

She just sighed, but she buried her head in his shoulder.

'He smells so good.' She started to drift off again. But she didn't want to fall asleep in Sesshomaru's arms. She didn't want to look weak.

Sesshomaru noticed her fighting her fatigue.

"Sleep." It was an order, and that was all it took. Kagome was once again in dreamland.

He walked through the corridors and into a guest room that he and Kagome had to _share._ He knew that she wouldn't appreciate that but there had been a fuss about who's going to get their own room because there wasn't enough. He hadn't even thought about it before he replied,

"The miko and I will share." He regretted it as soon as he said it, but what was done was done, he could not undo the past so the miko would learn to deal with it or…she just would….

The room was simple with a bed, a dresser and a vanity mirror. The room had a green theme to it. He placed her in the bed, and then left to speak with the Northern Lord about their alliance. If he played his cards right they would be able to leave by tomorrow, and he would finally be able to head home. He didn't want to stay for the ball anyway. There was only going to be a bunch of airhead girls that would clamor for his attention and he would avoid them all night. It was like routine at every formal gathering. He took one last look at his miko before he headed for Lord Kisho's study.

_2 hours later_

'That was exhausting.' All he wanted to do right now is sleep. Kisho was drunk. After seeing all his warriors defeated by a single girl, who wouldn't blame him. But a drunken Kisho meant a talkative one. He had agreed to renew the alliance, it had only taken about thirty minutes, but he insisted on small talk. He asked how his life was going and other unimportant questions that he had no business to know. After about another hour, he had simply passed out on his desk. Sesshomaru had been relieved. He had told a passing servant to clean up before heading back to his room.

'No _our _room.' He thought defeated. Knowing the miko would flip. But his beast seemed to be happier than ever.

He walked into the room, removed his haori and slipped into the bed beside the miko. She never stirred surprisingly. 'she must have been fighting her fatigue for a long time or she just has complete faith in this Sesshomaru's ablities to protect her.' He thought sumgly.

Sometime during the night he had turned to face the miko and had laid his arm over her waist. She had also turned and her head was neatly tucked under his chin. They looked like the perfect couple. They had slept peacefully. Near sunrise the miko started whimpering in her sleep. Without even waking up he had shifted onto his back and pulled the miko on top of him wrapping his arms around her body. She had instantly quieted.

If you had looked at the two of them during the night you would have recoiled in shock. Kagome had the most dreamiest look on her face, much like the looks the princess in fairy tales give their 'Knights in Shining Amour.' And Sesshomaru had the most peaceful expression on his face that the kamis would have been envious of. Together they looked like a happily mated couple. But the sun had to come up sometime though. Kagome awoke first.

'Why is my pillow so hard,' She thought groggily. She poked it. 'and moving?' She woke up completely with that thought. She tried to move but found two hard as steel arms clamped around her waist. Her pillow growled.

"How do I get myself into these situations?" She got a soft snore in return.

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**A/N: Well this chapter is better than the last one and has some fluff in it. Tell me what you think. What will Sesshomaru do when he finds out his position? Find out next time…**


	10. Chapter 9: Do I Really Gotta Gooooo?

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to ****_llebreknit_ for her unintentional inspiration. Thanks hope you enjoy this chapter. Oh and now that I'm started I just thought I'd let everyone know that I'm writing this story for a dear friend of mine. This story is dedicated to her. I LOVE YOU BRITTANY!!! She also has a story but I'll warn you it is clearly a comedy and is based off of real personalities of me and her mixed in with the Inuyasha characters. You can check it out if you want. It's good for a couple ****laughs,**** it cheers my day up all the time. Her penname is _THEcrazyCATlover_ and the story is called: What the Heck!!**** With that said we now continue onto…**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 9

Do I Really Gotta Gooooo?

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"How do I get myself into these situations?" she mumbled to herself.

Kagome had been trying for about ten minutes to extract herself from the icy demon lord of the west.

'I guess I he can't be all icy and cold if he's cuddling me like a toddler who had misplaced his teddy bear and had finally been reunited with it after searching hi and low.'

Usually Kagome would have flipped out if found in this compromising position, or at least let the man…youkai…male…_whoever..._ know in no uncertain terms that it was not acceptable. Of course in a volume so loud the dead would have cringed. But she wasn't dealing with a half-breed that could be manipulated with the threat of a three letter word, or some young wolf that was dense but nothing a few blows to the head wouldn't fix. No she was dealing with a _dangerous, intimidating _and not to mention _scary_, demon lord. She knew he wouldn't kill her if he was awake and realized it was her. But she was at a disadvantage. He was asleep, and didn't look like he was going to rejoin the living anytime soon. He could be a morning person and would wave it off as any other trivial thing in his life. But if he was grouchy when woken up… She shivered, which earned her another growl and even tighter hold around her waist.

She knew how _she _was when, unwilling brought back to the conscious world and it wasn't a pretty sight. Imagine what _he _would be like. She shuddered. His grip tightened to a painful extent.

'He now _needs _to wake up cuz I no longer have circulation in the lower part of my body.' Apparently Sesshomaru was a very deep sleeper.

She was wrong though Sesshomaru rarely slept past the sun and would wake at the slightest movement or noise. But he was feeling really peaceful and wasn't about to give that up. Everytime he would start to wake up he would coax his body back to sleep.

'The miko isn't making it any easier though.' Was his first conscious thought.

Kagome had two choices. She would either take the risk of having her head taken clean off or wait patiently until he wakes up and hope that she would ever be able to walk again. Kagome was never patient so she decided to go the drastic route.

She turned as much as she could to his ear, opened her mouth wide, prepared to let him have it when,

"Whatever you are thinking about doing, this Sesshomaru thinks it would be wise if you didn't." She just stared at him.

He had known she was about to do something that would probably cause him to sustain some type of damage when her scent had went from nervous and uncertain to courageous and determined. He had smoothly intercepted it. He opened his eyes.

"You were awake this whole time?" She asked curious. She thought as soon as he had realized their current predicament he would drop her on the bed and stalk off to…wherever…he usually stalks off to. Which sounded like a pretty good idea because she couldn't feel her legs up to her calves anymore.

"You know what never mind, I don't wanna know. But do you think you could let me go any time soon, I can't feel my legs…"She started to struggle but was stilled when a deep growl was heard. He was a male and her body rubbing against certain …areas… was making him most uncomfortable. After a considerable amount of willpower he restrained his urges and let the miko go. He pointed toward the door.

"Go and get ready for breakfast we are already late." She glared but did as she was told but not before,

"It was all your fault, you're the one who wouldn't let go like I was some kind of chew toy." She grumbled to herself on the way out. That would not go unpunished.

She got half way to the inside hot spring when she felt the burning feeling at her neck.

'He wouldn't…' He did it wasn't enough to seriously hurt but walking down a hallway with your whole body feeling like it was going to self-combust is not the most comfortable feeling. She cursed him all the way there, through her bath, and all the way to the dining room. When she reached the doors the pain lessened to almost nothing, so she stepped through the doors with her head held high, looking like she was queen of the world.

"I trust you slept well." Said Lord Kisho.

"Just peachy." She said through her teeth all the while giving Sesshomaru a dirty look. She sat down in the same spot as yesterday.

"Well now that everyone is here, I thought I'd let everyone know that the annual ball is tomorrow night and attendance is required." Lord Kisho said loudly. Almost like he was excited, no one else seemed to be though.

The Southern Family looked as if someone had just killed their family dog, while Tatsu and Ozeki where grumbling under their breaths too softly for her to pick up but she did here Sesshomaru's almost inaudible sigh.

'So there are some things that make the almighty Sesshomaru suffer. I think I might actually enjoy this ball.' She thought smugly.

Breakfast was silent after that declaration, with everyone wallowing in self-pity except Lord Kisho. The rest of the day went well with no complications. The other lords and ladies had disappeared into Lord Kisho's study conversing about important matters or whatever. Kagome had gone to the dojo to show what the warriors what they did wrong and what they could have improved on. At first they were reluctant but eventually gave in. The second day went much like the first.

"I can't believe I really have to go to this ball. It is pointless." Sesshomaru said while looking at himself in the mirror. Kagome was seated on the bed. Both were dressed and ready, waiting for the signal to show up. They had chosen not to get all dressed up like the others and settled for their normal attire. Sesshomaru declined because he said something about not wanting to draw more attention to himself and Kagome said no because she felt helpless in a kimono. She couldn't move as well and felt very restricted.

"Is the great Lord Sesshomaru, whining and complaining like a whittle baby." Cooed Kagome.

"Don't push me woman." He all but snarled back.

"You have no idea what goes on at these _balls._ They are more like a disguised way for the other lords to marry off their offspring to the most eligible bachelor." He looked extremely annoyed. She couldn't figure out why…It clicked.

Sesshomaru could easily be considered the most eligible bachelor with his outstanding power, and most prosperous lands.

'All of the women probably harass him and try to get his attention while he trys to avoid them all. We all know Sesshomaru hates female company. I can't blame him though, the women of this era aren't very smart and care only for material items.' She just couldn't resist though the bait was too good.

"Awwww, Sesshomaru's afraid of the big bad court women are gonna come and eat him." She giggled. She could imagine all of the girls pushing and shoving their way to Sesshomaru with the hopes that they would become his mate.

Sesshomaru never got the chance to retaliate because there was a knock on the door.

"They are expecting your arrival Lord Sesshomaru and Miko-sama."

Sesshomaru squared his shoulders and said, "Let's get this over with."

Kagome hid her smile behind her hand, while she walked with her hand resting on Sesshomaru's elbow linked with her own as was custom when appearing at a gathering with a lady at your side.

They got to the reception hall and the doors slid open.

"Now presenting Lord Sesshomaru and Lady Miko." Someone announced from the back.

"_Kagome_." She mumbled. She had told everyone she had ever met to use her name and yet everyone seemed to be going out of their way to avoid using it.

When he finished every female in the hall looked toward Sesshomaru with stars in their eyes.

'This is worse than I thought. I thought he had a fan group or something but this…" She almost pitied him. Almost.

**(I should stop here but there's absolutely nothing to do, so I'll keep going…Lucky you….)**

Sesshomaru wasn't the only one getting attention though, most of the male demons had noticed her too.

'Finally, someone notices me without me threatening them.'

Just then a zoo of women from the court came up and literally dragged Sesshomaru away almost taking her arm off in the process. Well more like the brave one came up and grabbed his hand leading him away.

'Can't kill them, can't kill them, can't kill them.' He repeated in his mind like a mantra. If he killed one of the lords daughters he would most likely start a war. He wouldn't lose but it would disrupt the delicate peace that months of patrolling had accomplished.

"Release my hand or you will be incapable of ever moving it again." He threatened the most coldest tone in his arsenal. It made the blood in rocks stop cold. The demoness immediately let his hand go ans snatched her hand to her chest as if she'd been burned.

"Oh Sesshy-kun don't be like that, come dance with me." He couldn't refuse or else he would end up looking dishonorable. She was a noble of higher status directly related to the Northern Lord. He gave a defeated sigh and let himself be led onto the dance floor.

'It just has to be a slow song, doesn't it.' He thought depressed.

_With Kagome_

She wasn't fairing much better. Apparently someone had blew her cover and every demon in Japan knew that she was the most powerful miko alive and had even defeated Sesshomaru once.

'Who ever spread that rumor is going to be killed on spot, if he ever finds out.' So far almost every unmated demon had come up to her and asked her questions that she did not feel comfortable answering, like where was her home and had she ever slept with a man. But the most shocking one was the young beaver demon coming right out and saying "Will you become me mate?"

After she _politely _turned down their offers and stopped their interrogations she was conned into dancing with them. Song after song she danced.

'Will this ever end? How long do these things usually last, demons almost never sleep but me on the other hand I wanna collapse. I was supposed to go and pester Sesshomaru about his women problems but now I think I need some advice with my own issues, wait haven't I already danced with this demon….' She looked around the room to see if she could spot Sesshomaru. He was also dancing just a couple yards to the left. She had an idea.

Sesshomaru was watching his little miko dance with the other demons and felt a wave of jealously hit him, but he kept it under a tight leash. He saw the strange light enter her eyes and knew she was going to do something highly overdone to get herself out of the situation. Oh he was jealous but also glad that the miko now knew what he was going through. Whatever she was planning, he wanted in….

Kagome maneuvered her partner to Sesshomaru and his partner. She started to relay her plan to him. The demon Kagome was dancing with was too busy telling her of all his accomplishments and what he could give her should she choose him as her mate, and Sesshomaru's partner was staring at his face, like she wanted to imprint into her memory forever.

'Which is probably what she's doing.' Kagome was irritated. Every time she would pass by Sesshomaru she would tell her as much of the plan as she could in hushed tones before being pulled off again. No one needed to know their plan of escape. She might come back later to rescue Tatsu because he had saved her from the hordes of demons clamoring for her attention at least for a little while by saying he wanted a dance. It offered her a moment of peace, but right now it was every man for himself. If Sesshomaru didn't follow through with the plan she had Plan B but that sounded really drastic even to herself so she hoped Sesshomaru wouldn't mess this up. She finally got the whole messaged delivered and Sesshomaru nodded showing he understood.

After a couple more dances so as not to look suspicious Kagome gave the signal. Sesshomaru came up to her and said,

"How is it that you a pathetic _human _could attract so many demons to you. Especially one that looks like you. You must have bewitched them." She knew it was part of the plan but that particular insult hurt. Well one turn deserves another.

"Well _Lord Sesshomaru_, at least my personality is more charming than that of an icicle." She sneered. "Mr. I-Love-Anything-Social." She said sarcastically. Giving him a dirty look.

"You dare to insult this Sesshomaru." He snarled. That had stung _a lot _coming from her but he would dwell on it later. Right now he just wanted to escape.

"Only if that Sesshomaru had started a confrontation with me in the first place." Her aura flared. All of the surrounding demons took a couple steps back on instinct.

Sesshomaru's youki responded to the challenge. Kagome threw a punch at Sesshomaru charged with miko energy. It wouldn't even hurt a lesser demon though it was just for show. Sesshomaru caught it and threw her to the side. She landed on her feet and skidded a couple feet back. She just stood up and walked out of the hall in a huff, looking hurt and insulted. Sesshomaru stalked after her.

"Don't ever walk away from this Sesshomaru." After they had left the hall everyone stared after them for a while, but eventually went back to what they were doing before. No one wanted to see what would happen next it would be very ugly.

Once Sesshomaru was sure that they were a considerable distance away he scooped his miko up bridal style and dashed to the farthest end of the gardens to retreat for the rest of the night. It was beautiful outside, with the fireflies and a full moon out.

Sesshomaru would never admit to the petite girl but her plan was genius. The miko had given a display of her power to warn others but had not used it in an actual fight, so in turn he didn't have to physically hurt her. He was always known for being cruel so him starting the fight was nothing surprising to them. And they were able to walk out of the hall and have not _one _person follow them. None of them would want to see the escalating fight. Her plan was perfect. His miko could be very cunning when she wanted to. She could probably help think up battle strategies and negotiating tatics in the future...

Once he set her on the ground her legs gave out and she started laughing.

"Did…you see…their…faces!..PRICELESS!" She gasp out between laughs. Sesshomaru cracked a _tiny _smile. Their faces had been examples of pure shock and horror, even on most of the battle-hardened warrior nobles. It had been pretty amusing. Sesshomaru looked at his miko writhing on the ground in pure amusement and smiled a true smile. Kagome hadn't seen it though because of her current laughing problem and Sesshomaru was sure that no one else had seen it either. He would quickly silence them if they did.

His miko looked so beautiful. She was dressed in the clothing he had given her before which was still in top condition. 'I will have to praise the seamstress the next time I am in her area.' He noted. But with the light of the moon shining off her she looked like a goddess. Her hair looked even silkier and her skin looked so soft. When she finally got herself under control he stated,

"You know there will be punishment for that insult earlier."

"What?!" She gasped. He then stood up while slinging her over his shoulder.

"Put me down." She hissed. She wasn't stupid enough to yell and give away their current hiding spot.

"No." They had passed a koi pond on the way to the back and Sesshomaru knew the miko wouldn't appreciate becoming acquainted with the cold water any time soon…Prefect…

He stopped right at the water's edge.

"Apologize."

"No. You gave the first nasty insult so I only returned in kind."

"Suit yourself." He tossed her into the koi pond. She came up sputtering and spitting water out. Whatever she had been expecting it _wasn't _that! She would've preferred the chain to this. Now she was cold and wet and in her clothes, which were now wet. She **_hated_** when her clothes were wet, they clung to her like a second skin.

'He won't get away with that.' She had another idea but this time hid her eyes knowing if he had any clue what she was doing the plan would fail.

Sesshomaru looked smug but that look faded, when the miko started flailing and went underwater.

'Was the water a lot deeper than it looked.' He couldn't see the bottom because it was dark. In reality the miko could touch the bottom with her feet and had simply ducked her head under. She waited.

Sesshomaru kneeled down at the water's edge and peered over looking for some sign of her. Suddenly she came sprouting up, grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him in. He wasn't excepting such an underhanded trick from his miko, so in he went.

When he came up he had s scowl on his face but the light in his eyes gave him away. The miko saw this and made a mad dash for dry land but he was quicker than her and pulled her under again. She in return pulled him under, which he then retaliated by splashing her. Which of course she had to splash back. This continued for a little while before Kagome started shivering. Sesshomaru decided it was now time to get out. He dragged the little miko ashore.

'I never went back for Tatsu. Oh well too late now he can handle himself. I'm sure he'll forgive me...' She say goodbye to the waking world and greeted dreamland.

Sesshomaru had never had this much…fun….before. He admitted if only to himself that it was extremely entertaining to play in the water with his little spitfire. He had of course checked the area to make sure there were no prying eyes. He could never be caught doing such…_unlordly_...acts. But he would make quick work of anyone who happened to see them. No one had though. His life was always dull and boring, but this petite girl who was now sleeping on the grass had turned his life upside down. Easily destroying his well known and prefect, self-control with a simple comment and making him act like a toddler again. But the funny thing is he didn't mind it at _all_.

He picked up the miko who just mumbled something about '_missing chocolate'_ in her sleep 'whatever that is...' he thought, and laid her against his chest. He also laid on the grass to dry before returning inside. Their combined warmth and body heat seemed to speed up the drying process and they were relatively dry in about forty-five minutes. But Sesshomaru wasn't so rushed to give up his position. He was quite comfy and the miko didn't seem to be complaining either. She was latched onto his Momoko-sama with a death grip, sleeping on his chest. His eyes softened minutely when he looked down at her. He set his internal alarm clock to wake before the sun was up to move them to the room. He slowly started to drift off.

**I like her. **His beast rumbled. Content with everything for the time being.

'Hai. I do too.' He replied before he went to join the miko in dreamland…

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**A/N: You guys better be happy that chapter was long for me and took me almost an hour to write. My hands have a cramp from typing. Well hope you enjoyed it. Remember tell me what you liked and didn't so I know what to fix and what to put more of. Also I'm not sure what I really want to happen right now I know how the story is going to end but I don't know how I'm gonna get there so if anyone has any suggestions about what should happen in future chapters feel free to let me know and you will be given credit just like I did for _llebreknit. _If I get none then you'll just have to bear with me and accept anything my crazy mind can come up with. Well, see you next time. Until then peace 1,**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**


	11. Chapter 10:  Homeward Bound

**A/N: This chapter is again dedicated to _llebreknit_ for her suggestion to the story. I was stumped from where to go from here and here suggestion gave my limitless possibilities, to choose from so the story moves on because of her. THANK YOU!! I love your suggestions, keep up the good work!! Now onto the story…. **

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast**

Chapter 10

Homeward Bound And You Want To Mate The Miko…_Wait…_**WHAT?!**

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Kagome shoved her head under her pillow, or at least attempted to. But her pillow wouldn't budge and that annoying stream of sunlight was threatening to fully wake her up. She tried one last time to relocate her head underneath her pillow. When she failed once again, she sat up fully awake…

"DAMMIT!!" She screeched. The sun wasn't even all the way up yet. It was just enough so that, that one _little _pesky stream of light could reach her face. It was hardly able to reach over the window sill.

"Are you always such a morning person?" Someone stated to the left of her. She whirled around happy to have found someone to vent out her frustration but when she turned to greet the person, she turned back around so quickly that she twisted herself in the sheets and when she tried to remove herself she ended up maneuvering herself to the side of the bed and being the klutz that she is…she fell off the bed. (a/n: This happened to me once and it was used as blackmail cuz my friends had caught it on camera and threatened to put it on youtube so always be careful around who you think are your friends… It was pretty funny though…Back to the story…)

"DAMMIT!!!" She screeched again although louder this time. Nothing ever went right in the mornings for her. If she was in her era, one of her friends would call her at the crack of dawn wanting to talk about some mundane thing that she had no interest in or firing questions about her illnesses that she had no answer to. When she was traveling with Inuyasha, he always woke her up first with demands of his precious Ramen. And finally when she thought she was on her own and had her own schedule she would fall asleep and just on the edge of her senses a rogue demon would pass by and she would switch into battle mode, no longer able to sleep.

'The only time I've ever slept in was if I was so sick I couldn't wake up or I was on the verge of death so everyone decided to cut me some slack.'

'This is all his fault, if Lord Perfect slept with a shirt on I wouldn't have embarrassed myself and ended up on the floor.' She thought venomously. Indeed Sesshomaru had taken off his haori and hadn't put a night shirt on because it was too humid.

'But if I had known she would react like that, I wouldn't have put it on even if it was freezing out.' Sesshomaru thought amused. Kagome looked pretty funny with her body a tangled mess of limbs and sheets and her glaring like there was no tomorrow. Finally he decided enough was enough the miko's eyes would stay that way if she didn't stop. They were so narrowed it looked like she was squinting.

"Miko get dressed, we leave soon."

"Well youkai are you going to tell me where we are heading to?" She retorted, still frustrated that no one would use her name.

"Watch yourself woman." He growled out.

"Okay male, I'll get ready just as soon as you leave the room." She hissed.

Sesshomaru had a retort for that, he really did…Ok he didn't, but she didn't need to know that. He pivoted on his heel and strode out the door to wait for the annoying pest. As soon as she heard the door _click _she set about extracting herself from the sheets. It was impossible!! She would get an arm out but end up with her legs even more twisted. But she'd be damned before she asked Sesshomaru for help.

She didn't have to ask. He had heard her struggling for almost six minutes **(a/n: that's how long it took me to get out. I struggled until one of my friends finally got their laughter under control and helped me)** and he was in a big hurry to get out of this damn place. He threw open the door picked up the sheets in the exact right spot and the miko just fell out of them and onto the floor. He tossed the sheets to the side.

"Hurry up woman, this Sesshomaru does not have all day." He closed the door with the last word.

"Well if that Sesshomaru was in such a hurry just leave this Kagome alone and find some other poor unsuspecting victim to wreak havoc upon." She muttered more to herself than him.

"I heard that." He called from behind the door.

"Good. Now you have my opinion on the matter." She called back. By the time she was finished ranting about how stupid demons and their stupid attitudes get her in so much trouble she was dressed. She met Sesshomaru in the corridor.

"What about my bath?" She asked.

"You do not smell, therefore you will bathe on the way to the Western Lands." He stated as if it was obvious.

That was _not _the right answer. He was desperate about getting out of here on record time because when she had opened her mouth to let him have it, he clamped a hand on her mouth and said,

"This Sesshomaru will do any one thing you ask if you obey every command he says." He saw a light enter her eyes. "Within reason." The light died.

'I guess making him strip and do the 1,2 step while combining it with the tango is out of the question…' She thought defeated. Whatever Sesshomaru was trying to hide from was _very _dangerous if he would go through such lengths to avoid it.

"Fine." She said.

"Good, now follow this Sesshomaru and do not make a sound." He whispered in her ear. The hot breath on her neck made her flush from head to toe. She stood rooted to the spot. Sesshomaru noticed this.

'The miko really needs to get a love life…' His beast snarled at that idea. He scooped the still blushing miko and fled to safer grounds. This meant that they were miles away from the Northern Castle and heading in the right direction to his territory. Once he deemed it ok to put her down he visibly relaxed. He had told Lord Kisho about his wish to depart in the early morn, and he had simply said to, "let himself out." When he had woken up this morning he had caught a faint smell on the wind, but had brushed it off as nothing. He immediately recognized the scent when he had stepped out of the room. It was _hers_.

Sesshomaru had faced down countless demon and human armies and crushed foes that his father had difficulty dealing with while keeping a calm, cool and collected outlook on everything. But this _monster _was beyond his strength capabilities and possibly even his mental ones. The beast they were running from was _Lady Hanako. _The devil himself wrapped up in a pretty package. He wouldn't lie she was pretty but almost to an unnatural extent. She painted her face and most of that beauty was false. But her whole personality was _horrible._ If you think the miko had mood swings,_ hers_ were to a violent extent. She could be laughing at one thing and then start crying as if the hover dam had broke behind her eyes for no reason at all. She was also extremely stupid or incredibly dense.

'Probably both.' His beast agreed. They had never like her. But she insisted that she would become his mate, and she had a good reason to. If Sesshomaru didn't find a mate in the next decade he would be betrothed to _her_. She was especially clingy for this reason and Sesshomaru hated any _space _between them never mind _physical contact_. Sesshomaru would never let it deteriorate to that. He would find someone in the next _life_ if he had to. This horrendous being disguised as a woman was Lord Kisho's _direct cousin_. He could not disrespect her or risk being looked upon as dishonorable. Had he known she was coming he would have never gone in the first place.

'Someone must have let it slip that I was in the area, if I find out who it was….' **Warning: These thoughts are censored because they are too violently graphic for the general public!! **

He coaxed himself into being calm for the miko's sake. Her anxiety at his attitude was driving his senses _insane._ They were well into the Northern Lands not very far from the border when,

"Are you going to tell me what we just ran from? Should I be afraid for my life? Is it another Naraku?" The questions kept coming…

"We had just escaped from the devil incarnate himself." He almost shuddered. Almost.

Seeing he wasn't going to elaborate she let it drop.

'Whatever it was it must have been big, scary, ugly and have rancid breath to make Sesshomaru flee like that. I'm glad I didn't have to meet the creature. I hope everyone else is alright. I still owe Tatsu so much maybe I should go back.' She looked back in the direction they were heading _away _from and felt a presence in the air she really didn't want to investigate.

'Tatsu can handle his own; if he can't then kami may his spirit rest in peace.' She had really liked him too. He was the only demon she didn't have to threaten into using her name. He also didn't try to kill her on their first meeting. He was top on her friends list for this era.

They had been traveling for roughly half a day now and her stomach which she had been restraining broke free of his leash and growled so loudly Sesshomaru tensed. Sesshomaru could have sworn he heard a stray demon but couldn't pinpoint the location.

'There it was again.' Sesshomaru scouted the area. The third time he traced the location back to the miko's…stomach…

"You are hungry." He stated irritated. Why didn't she tell him. He didn't know how long humans could go without eating but Rin had gone three days without food and water and had collapsed he didn't want to take that chance.

She blushed, "Maybe just a little."

"Why did you not inform me?" He demanded.

"Whatever you were so hell bent on fleeing from had freaked me out so I figured when we made camp for the night all would be safe. It must be big, scary, hideous, frightening,..." He tuned her out to locate some prey. There was a deer grazing in a little field to the left of them.

"Stay here." He commanded.

"By myself?" She squeaked. This creature really had her scared if Sesshomaru was running from it, then she could only speculate the worst, right.

"You will be able to handle yourself, trust this Sesshomaru." She gulped but sat down and started to count slowly to calm her nerves.

Once he was sure she wouldn't follow. He set off to hunt. He would have to skin and cut the meat too if he didn't want the miko going off on him again like when he had brought back a rabbit to camp. He had dropped it on the ground in front of her. He had thought she would at least be able to skin it but instead she had run to the bushes heaving the whole way while muttering "it's looking at me." He had made sure that she couldn't even tell what he had killed before he brought it back for her inspection.

After slicing the meat and rinsing it in a river nearby, (he had found out the miko was not big on blood when he had brought back a deer skinned but still dripping with blood. That was his favorite part but she had again run to the bushes heaving the whole way. He didn't understand all that time tending wounds and fighting gory battles and she couldn't handle the sight of blood. She had stated that she didn't eat the demons she killed and there was a _big _difference. One he knew he would never understand.)

'Rin is the same way, maybe it is just a human personality flaw…' He decided not to dwell on it since it couldn't be changed. Once the meat was just cut up pieces that were a raw pink in color, he returned and set about making a fire to cook on. He had shown the miko how but she could never accomplish it. The one time he thought she had it, she had scorched her finger so badly that it had to have herbs rubbed on it so that it wouldn't blister. That was the first time he had seen the miko cry from pain. He deduced he didn't like it and had made the fire from then on.

Once a fire was up and running he set the meat in front of the miko knowing she would take care of the rest. The meat was skewered and placed over the fire.

"Thank you Lord Sesshomaru." She said warmly. She had been so hungry, her stomach would be awarding the demon lord a key to the city for his selflessness, if it was possible.

He was irritated at the fact that she had used his honorary title and _that _had made him frustrated but he replied with a,

"You're welcome." They sat in companionable silence until the meat was done. She then devoured it then as if she would never have enough. She had at least enough nerve to look embarrassed after that display.

"Sorry about that, but I was so hungry, what I wouldn't give for a bath right now." She said to the wind.

Sesshomaru decided to allow the miko to bathe. He wanted to see her smile, and all day her anxiety had been eating away at him.

"If you head through those trees," he gestured to a patch of trees behind the miko, "and head straight you will come across a stream it will most likely be cold but suitable for bathing purposes."

The miko launched herself into his lap and hugged him tightly around the middle so hard that it knocked the wind out of him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you thank you….." Her voice could be heard giving her thanks long after she had released him and darted off into the trees. He cracked a smile.

'The miko's antics will never cease to amuse me. This Sesshomaru had a handmade set of clothing made for her with his house colors and everything and she passes it off like some common occurrence, but when he tells her she is allowed to bathe and gives her directions, she thanks him as if he had handed her a silver platter with the world on it. She is so confusing. But that is what this Sesshomaru finds so attracting about her. She cares not for material things but for the simpler things in life …much like this Sesshomaru.' He then set about categorizing and putting away information he had learned about the miko in his mind and waited for her return.

She returned around dusk but the whole forest seemed to glow, and light up with her happiness. It radiated off of her and the ground he was sitting on even seemed warmer. But her smile was blinding. Sesshomaru tried to fight it off he truly, really did but it was inevitable.

Sesshomaru smiled back at her and in that moment in time all was right in the world.

Okay maybe they were overreacting but to them time had stopped and Kagome's smile got even brighter and threatened to split her face if she kept it up.

She came and sat to the side of him.

"I really am thankful Sesshomaru, I'm full and clean at the same time something that has rarely happened since I traveled with Inu…Sango and Miroku." Kagome hoped but it was in vain, Sesshomaru had caught the slip up and was furious over his retarded half-brother creating so much pain in this miko that it pained her just to say his name. He replayed what had happened to the miko when she had told him the first day he had talked to her civilly. Then he remembered something he had not thought was important at the time.

"Miko remove your shirt."

"What?" She stated _much _more calmly then she felt. Sesshomaru realized his mistake with the miko's innocence and elaborated.

"There is something I wish to confirm. It is on your back." It clicked he wanted to see the scar that Inuyasha had left. She nodded and turned her back to him, removing her haori in the process. Usually she would be ashamed of the scar, but with him, she felt safe to show him for reason she would later speculate. Sesshomaru noted the strange white cloth binding her breast as something he had never seen before. But that wasn't important right now.

The sight of the scar made him gag. It was _so horrible _it made Lord Sesshomaru gag.

There it was Inuyasha's name written on her back but the scar was black in color and had what looked like bruises around it.

"He did this?" Was the only sentence he could form through his righteous rage.

"Hai." She whispered sadly. This was the only thing tying her to Inuyasha and it would be there forever. She had tried many times to heal it only to end up with the same result…nothing….

He growled ferociously and some of his saliva had sprayed on the miko's back, **(a/n: ewww, gross but I couldn't think of anything else so go with it.)** and where it had hit the scar it had started to turn black and then fade away to leave new pink skin. He could take away this thing marring his miko's perfect body. He took off his Momoko-sama and laid it out flat.

"Lay down on it. With your back facing up." He pointed to his momoko-sama. She looked confused but didn't question.

When she was settled into what he thought was a comfortable position with her head laying on her folded arms in front of her. He bent down, and whispered

"You must hold still, do not fidget as you are prone to do." She was about to ask him why when he slid his tongue across the middle of the scar. It had the desired effect, the scar started to dissipate. Kagome gasped.

"It hurts?" He asked with less concern in his voice than he really felt.

"No the skin is just sensitive." She blushed when he did it again. Eventually getting up early, trekking half the day away and his languid but soothing motions with his tongue across her back finally caught up with her and she fell into a deep sleep.

Sesshomaru knew when the miko had nodded off and decided it was for the better. He was still enraged at what his brother had done and his eyes were so blood red, that they probably looked black to the untrained eyes and he did not need the miko's anxiety right now. He was already overdue for a killing spree and that wouldn't help.

When the last of the scar was replaced with soft new skin and tissue, he withdrew from the miko. She started to shiver from the lost body warmth. He covered her from head to toe in his now lengthened Momoko-sama and shifted her into a comfortable position in his lap, only exposing her face so that she could breathe. With her soothing scent and the soft sound of her breathing Sesshomaru drifted off into a light slumber, ready to wake at any moment and protect his precious bundle. Seeing that scar had showed him just how fragile the little miko was. She wasn't weak by any means!! But when damaged it did show. How did she stay so full of life when such things had happened to her and she was faced with such depressing sights of battle fields or dying bodies every day? It just made her all the more special and different than everyone of this time.

**MINE!!** His beast snarled.

'MINE!!' His thoughts echoed as he drifted off content with his life for the time being.

**(I really should leave it here but I will continue cuz I want this chapter out and I want llebreknit to see what her suggestions have done to me so continue we shall….) **

The next morning was bright and sunny as if the whole world knew what Lord Sesshomaru had just done for the petite miko. He had taken away her only wound that never healed. The scar that had reminded her of Inuyasha every day. And she was now FREE of it!! She would forever be in his debt.

She had woken before the demon who appeared to really be sleeping this time. She didn't want to wake him so she slowly and patiently removed herself from his lap and had stood to greet the day. She placed his pelt in his lap as if to make up for the loss and headed off to bathe before they had to travel again.

She had stepped into the stream when she noticed something different about her body. She looked at herself through the reflection in the water and determined nothing had happened to her face and waved it off as her being silly. But when she had turned to hang her clothes on a branch (which had not sustained a single tear yet, now she knew had Sesshomaru stayed so clean), she caught a glance of her clear back in the water. _Wait CLEAR back_!! She did some interesting contortions to be able to look at the reflection of her back and there was no scar..No Scar…NO SCAR!!! She was free!! She jumped for joy did a little jig and skipped and laughed at things that had never seemed remotely funny before that now seemed hilarious. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders and Sesshomaru had been her Hercules. She decided that she would do something special for him. She would do what she hated but she would show him how eternally grateful she was. She would do the hunting this morning.

She found prey easily enough but almost lost her resolve, when she saw the cute little bunny hopping by.

'He probably has a family and friends, but I have to do this!!' She demanded it of herself.

Sesshomaru woke up to the sounds of his miko shuffling around camp. What was she doing up so early, she was never a morning person and how had she removed herself from his person without waking him up.

"Good Morning, sleepy head, I got you some breakfast. I went hunting." He raised one eyebrow in surprise. His little miko had gone _hunting._ She pulled a tray of assorted berries and mushrooms from behind her. The other eyebrow rose in question.

"I know it's not much but when the little bunny looked at me I couldn't do it I couldn't bring myself to kill it. It was too cute and probably was out looking for food for his family." She rambled on trying to hide her failure. But he wouldn't have it any other way. The woman who would back down from no challenge…almost no challenge… and slaughtered any that dared to cross her and yet couldn't bring herself to kill a pathetic rabbit for _food _because it was _cute_. She was a spitfire and hellion but she was an angel and representative to all that was good.

He sighed. He hadn't even made a dent in the puzzle that is Kagome in fact he just created more problems he was sure he would never figure out her or her motives, which was something that Sesshomaru never had trouble with before.

She was still rambling.

"It is fine I will eat what you have _hunted_." He stressed the word playfully. She scowled.

"I tried I really did but, but, but, it was soooo _cute!!" _She pleaded with him to understand.

"I know."

"You do?"

"Hai." She looked at him skeptically. But shrugged.

"Ok then let's dig in." He shot her a confused look when she used her modern lingo but she waved it off and started to eat.

Breakfast was over and they were on the road again.

"Hey Sesshomaru." She said sweetly trying to stay on his good side.

"Hai?"

"Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"Home." When she saw he wasn't going to elaborate she just huffed but had an excited look in her eyes.

She was going to see where the great Lord Of The West _lived._

Happy Days.

But like most happy things it had ended sooner than ever. And their peaceful day had been shattered to tiny miniscule pieces when a demon appeared in front of Kagome asking,

"Will you become my mate and bear my heir?" He said looking her straight in the eye.

Sesshomaru lost control.

"Never She Is MINE!!" He snarled deep and huskily signaling his beast had taken over if his blood shot eyes hadn't been enough proof, and Sesshomaru had probably let him do it willingly.

The two demons stared each other down for what seemed like hours. Then the foreign demon spoke.

"You cannot answer for her you have no claim."

"Hai, I do. I Sesshomaru Taishio, Taiyoukai of the Western Land lay claim to this miko with the intent of taking her as his mate." He had decided in that instant that no other would have her, even if he had to fight every male on the planet to keep her. Little did he know his assumptions would prove to be quite true.

She had fought ferocious demons, saved countless villages and saved many lives since she was fifteen, but hearing that particular string of words come from Sesshomaru's mouth was too much for the young woman to take.

That was the last thing Kagome heard before she saw black.

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**A/N: It's finally done this took me 3 friggin hours to write. I had gotten half way through and didn't know what to do next but I stuck with it and came out with this. Hope you like it. I finally thought of a way to get rid of the scar Kagome mention in chapter 1. Also you'll be hearing a lot more from Lady Hanako. Again this idea for the next chapter came to me from _llebreknit. _So you have her to thank for the chapter length and the main idea for the next couple of chapters. Thanks again to all those faithful readers that stuck with me!! Until next time… **

**AristocraticAssassinLover **

**Peace 1**


	12. Chapter 11: Stay Away From The Miko!

**A/N: This chapter is once again dedicated to _llebreknit, _for her suggestion to the story. What can I say she has a great mind. Oh yea and incase I forget so are the next couple of chapters. Right onto the story… **

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 11

Stay Away From The Miko...  
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Kagome awoke to the sounds of blades clashing and vicious battle cries. At least from one of them Sesshomaru was ignoring every taunt thrown at him and seemed hell bent on pinning the demon down, because from what she could tell they were nowhere near a match in strength and Sesshomaru could have easily taken him out already. But, they seemed to be equal enough in speed so that every time Sesshomaru would maneuver him into an impossible situation he would break free at the last moment.

Sesshomaru was angry, no that's not quite right, he was _livid_. How dare this vile creature even _think _about approaching his miko.

'His death will be slow and torturous.' He decided. Slowly the red started to bleed from his eyes. His beast fought with nothing but brute strength but this demon was quick he admitted, and would need strategy to be taken down.

Finally Sesshomaru had cornered him into a patch of trees that were spaced close together. The demon hadn't been expecting this and found himself with his back to the trees. Just when he was going to dart around the furious dog demon, said demon thrust Tokijin through the demons shoulder and into the tree behind him effectively pinning him there. He felt the poison flow to his hand and was going to follow through with his choice of death, when Kagome stepped in front of him.

'When will she learn that she will not interfere with this Sesshomaru's battles?…' He sighed. To be truthful he had been expecting something like this to happen.

Kagome had seen the green glow in his claws and knew she had to stop this madness.

"You can't kill him he hasn't done anything wrong." Her voice was cool and collected. It wouldn't be very wise to anger Lord Sesshomaru right now.

"He has stated a claim on you, so has this Sesshomaru. You must know that in demon society it is tradition for the two demons to face off for the hand of the chosen female." He sounded almost bored.

"You don't really intend to …follow through… with your claim?" She asked slowly.

'Why would Lord Sesshomaru, taiyoukai of the Western Lands, the most wealthy and powerful demon in Japan, want to mate with her, a wandering miko that has nothing but a kind reputation and a couple enemies.' Hell when she put it that way even _she _wouldn't want to mate with herself.

"Hai. I do." He would have to speak with the miko about this but now was not the time. The demon was still pinned to the tree.

"Step aside woman, or there will be consequences."

"I won't unless you promise me one thing." He decided to humor her.

"What is your condition?"

"You can't kill him." His anger returned full force. How could she protect him? Just as it appeared it dissipated. Kagome never one was for violence unless absolutely necessary.

"Agreed." He would let him live _for now._ If he ever came across the demon again, his life would be forfeit. With that she moved behind him.

He stepped up to the demon and in a clear voice that could not be misunderstood,

"You will never approach the miko again. Should this Sesshomaru find you near her your life belongs to me." As he finished he pulled his sword from the demon's shoulder, giving it a subtle twist just to make his point across. Said demon could only whimper in agreement.

Sesshomaru started to once again walk in the direction of the Western lands, but stopped when he couldn't feel Kagome following him.

"Are we just gonna leave him here?" She asked quietly.

"If you are worried about him getting attacked this Sesshomaru can end his miserable existence here and now."

"NO!"

"Then come."

Kagome turned around and whispered a soft, "Gomen." before walking off after Sesshomaru.

They were making good time when Kagome decided she had, had enough of his silence and attitude.

"I demand a break." To prove her point she halted in her steps and glared at the demon lord.

"No we continue on." He said evenly.

"No my feet hurt and you're not very good company with the silence vow and everything, and I'm tired!!" She whined.

"We are almost there. We will arrive in little under an hour."

"I don't care. I wanna stop here."

"If you do not move, I will carry you myself." He looked over his shoulder at her.

"You wouldn't dare." She challenged.

He turned completely around and stalked up to her. Standing within arms length of her,

"This is your last chance miko." She just glared at him. He resisted the urge to shrug and slung her over his right shoulder."

"You have three seconds to put me down." She said while struggling against his hold.

"3."

"Another empty threat."

"2."

"Your futile attempts at intimidation are nothing but annoying and somewhat amusing."

"….That was mean…."

"And you don't even know how to count. It was my understanding that one came before two."

"….Whatever…" She stated defeated. She just hung limply from his shoulder, sneezing occasionally from the fur on his Momomko-sama tickling her nose.

'Well if I'm gonna hang here I might as well make the best of it. I always wanted to touch his hair and it's ...right…there…' She reached out for it.

'It IS as silky as it looks. It's not fair. He lives in a world where there's no shampoo and I try to was my hair almost every day, and yet his is so much better than mine.' To occupy herself she started braiding little pieces of hair.

Sesshomaru had known of her fascination of his hair. He caught her staring at it many times. If her touching his hair kept her quiet and content who was he to complain? In fact it felt kind of …nice… What he didn't know was exactly what Kagome was doing to his hair. He certainly couldn't look intimidating …ok… as intimidating with all these little braids in his hair much like a little girl would do to her baby doll. She was feeling generous know that a demon lord with little braids in his hair would look funny so when she got bored witht eh braiding she took them out.

Kagome was starting to nod off when he stopped so suddenly she hit her head on his back. She had, had her head resting in her hands watching the ground move. Boring yes but there wasn't much to do when hanging from a demon lord's shoulder was there?

"We have arrived." As soon as the words registered she was wide awake.

_She _was at the Taiyoukai of the West's _house._

She started her stuggles anew.

"Put me down." 'I wanna see.'

He was thinking about dropping her but decided against it since he'd rather deal with her curiosity that he could sense rather than her anger. He set her on her feet. Her awe was immediate.

'This is where he _lives_. This makes mansions in my time look like shacks. Oh boy, I hope they have maps 'cause I'm definitely gonna get lost.'

The fortress was _enormous_. It had to stretch on for miles. What it lacked in height, it made up for in the amount of space it took. It was only one floor but had high ceilings. Right now she was standing in the courtyard, which had beautiful Mongolia trees in it with flowers on either side of the stone path up to the castle. Behind her there were giant towers that stretched much higher than the house, made up of stone. The wall surrounding the palace, at least as far as she could see was a stone wall that had to be at least 30 feet thick. With guards stationed at the tops of the towers and walking around the perimeter of the wall. Then there was of course the iron gate that was closed right now that was too big for even her to scale and she climbed some pretty high trees before.

'Nobody's getting through that anytime soon. There goes my escape plan." She thought sarcastically.

'Who would wanna escape from here even if you are a prisoner?' Her inner voice whispered.

'Point made.' She agreed.

The outside of the castle was built of beautiful marble that looked like it didn't have one scratch on it. There were a couple vines climbing up the sides here and there. There were also windows scattered around.

'Funny I always thought his house would be dark and dreary. It's the exact opposite. I want to see the inside.'

"It's magnificent." She whispered unaware that she had said it out loud.

Sesshomaru was glowing with pride. How could she not like his living quarters that were the most extravagant in Japan? But coming from her made his heart feel lighter.

"Come. I will show you to your quarters." She complied readily.

'I'll never find my way around here.' The inside was like a maze. The walls were bare except for painting and decorating items. Like a vase here and there.

'I know we passed that same vase at least three times now.' Finally they stopped in front _her _room. She was once again captured by beauty when she stepped in the room.

It was a blue theme. The walls were a lighter shade of blue, while the bed sheets and pillows were a dark blue almost navy. There was a dresser and a chest made of dark mahogany wood, and a couple vases filled with flowers in the corners. There was also a window that looked out at the gardens which was as equally beautiful.

"This is _my _room?" She asked hesitantly.

"Hai, do you find it unsatisfactory?"

"Never!" She turned to him and gave him a bear hug, all the while whispering "arigato" over and over.

Sesshomaru unsure of what to do hesitantly wrapped an arm around her and patted her on the back. When she finally pulled away she yawn.

"Change and rest. I will send someone to gather you for breakfast tomorrow."

"Change into ...what…" But he was already out the door. When she looked in the dresser there were many sleeping gowns (a/n: don't remember what they're called in Japanese so yeah just go with it…) they were of the softest silk she had ever felt. She slipped one on laid in bed and was almost instantly asleep. The day's events had finally caught up with her, that and the fact that it was well past her bedtime. The moon was riding high in the sky.

'I bet I'm gonna have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, but at least my bed is comfy.' Was her last coherent thought before she entered the dreamworld.

-With Sesshomaru-

He could hear her sleeping. He had given her, the room to the right of his. There was a hidden door there because it was once his mother's room. She would lock herself in there, when she and his father had a disagreement, but when she would sleep he would secretly gaze upon her from the door. He could smell here scent wafting through the cracks. Her delicious scent along with her melody of soft breathing lulled Sesshomaru into a deep slumber. He was in his own holdings with a beautiful miko in the room next to his and his ward across from him, both sleeping peacefully.

He had never slept better.

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**A/N: This chapter wasn't that long but I just _squeezed _it out. I was in a rush cuz I have four basketball games this week and a tournament next weekend I have to get ready for, so I wasn't sure when I could update next and I haven't in a while so you guys got this. **

**In the next chapter Rin will have an appearance along with Jaken's opinion on Kagome. I think Lady Hanako might make an appearance to…not sure yet… **

**Hopefully I update soon!! Until next time **

**AristocraticAssassinLover **


	13. Chapter 12: Leave My Sessypoo Alone!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my best friend Brittany also known as THEcrazyCATlover. I was going to give up on this story because of reason I did not want to burden you guys with, but she literally _slapped _some sense into me. She also gave me a ultimatum: Continue the story or ….This has been blocked out because it is too graphic for the general public… Well you get the idea…On to the story. (You know she also watched me write this whole chapter –shudders-)**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 12

No One Comes Between Me And My Sesshy-poo!!  
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'Why does that annoying appendage insist on poking me in the shoulder? Can't it see that it's not accomplishing anything, therefore it should stop before I do something rash. I'll give it one more chance…' Kagome thought irritably.

Poke. Poke.

'The birds aren't even chirping yet. If it doesn't stop I'm going to throw a miko energy charged pillow at it.'

Poke. Po…

"WHAT?!?" Kagome snapped, but she immediately regretted doing so. There stood a little mouse demon not much shorter than her shaking like a leaf, her early morning attitude dissipating at the sight.

When Kagome got up to apologize to the demon, said demon beat her to it. She dropped to the floor so fast it must have her the way her head made a dull 'Thunk'

"Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, gom…." It just kept going.

"No. Shhhh. My fault. Please. Get up." Kagome tried to calm to poor demon down. After five minutes of unsuccessful defeat, she grabbed the demon by her shoulders, hoisted her up and looked her straight in the eye.

"Please stop that groveling. I do not deserve or appreciate it. It was very rude for me to snap at you like that, but if you had known me personally I am not a morning person at all! So for that gomen." Kagome finished with her head bowed. The poor demon girl had no clue what to do now. She had been ordered to be _Lady_ Kagome's new hand maiden. She had served others and knew what to expect. Or at least she thought she did. When she had, had to wake the girl (which was odd because most ladies got up at the crack of dawn) and she did not stir at all, she had started to gently prod her in the shoulder. When Kagome snapped at her and yelled at her, she looked more terrifying than even the most enraged demonesses she had served, and that was saying a lot. She then wondered if she had done something to upset her lord because he had asked for her by name. When Kagome started to approach her, she thought the beating would begin and started to apologize to maybe lessen the overall damage. She never even heard when Kagome started whispering soothing words. When she grabbed her shoulders, she tensed ready for the worst. When the girl started to apologize to _her_ she went into shock. Any training she had ever received in this area of employment went out the window. She had never been put in a situation like this before. So she improvised.

"P-please you d-don't have to a-apologize to me. I am b-but a m-mere servant, your p-personal ha-hand maiden to be ex-exact." She stuttered looking for the right words.

Kagome felt awful for causing this girls fear. It was rolling off her in waves. She was also tense as if I was going to hit…her. She remembered some of her history classes then. How if a servant serving a lady should ever act out, they would be severely punished.

'She thinks I'm gonna _hit _her. She didn't even do anything.'

"I'm not going to punish you if that's what you think. You have done nothing wrong. Even if you did I would never resort to violence that is reserved for a certain demon." She said picturing long silver hair and golden eyes begging for mercy.

'A girl can dream right.'

"H-hai, my la-lady."

"Please my name is Kagome. I'd rather be referred to as that. I do not deserve the title of lady, for I am not one. You need not fear I will not harm you."

"Hai, Kagome-sama." She sighed. It would have to do for now.

"Oh wait a minute I didn't catch your name!!" Kagome blurted out once again startling the already skittish girl.

"It's Aimi." She mumbled.

"What a beautiful name!!" She cried.

"Arigato, Kagome-sama." She replied blushing.

"You're welcome, Aimi-sama." Just as Aimi was going to speak no doubt to _correct_ her stating that she doesn't deserve such a title. Kagome smoothly cut her off.

"Well since I'm up I might as well take a bath. Is there a hot springs nearby?"

"Hai right this way my la… Kagome-sama. Follow me."

She stood up and gathered the bathing items that his lordship said she would need and headed out the door. When they were outside in the corridor Kagome plucked some of the items out of her hands. Just as she was about to grab them back with her free hand Kagome looped her arm around the demoness' exclaiming,

"Lead the way!!" She started to walk and decided to glance over at her new charge, only to see her skipping and humming some foreign tune.

'Maybe this won't be so bad after all.' Aimi smiled.

-_After Kagome's Bath, On The Way To The Dining Hall_-

"Kagome-san. Lord Sesshomaru was requested that you dine with him for breakfast, and that you should hurry because there will be consequences if you are late." Kagome beamed a bright smile at her that would put the sun to shame. It had taken the whole walk to the bath, during the bath, and until now to convince Aimi to at least call her Kagome-san. It also had a lot to do with Kagome's threatening also.

"Is that so." That strange light entered her eyes and before the demoness could figure out what it was Kagome started to walk so slowly that a snail could have beat her to the dining hall.

"Please my lady Lord Sesshomaru will have _my _head if your late."

"Whatever." She mumbled but sped up her steps to a speed walk.

Finally they reached the dining room. When the doors opened, there sat Sesshomaru at the head of the mile long table (okay maybe she was exaggerating but still.).

"Have a seat miko, or do you plan to stand there and stare at me all day." He gestured to the seat on his left.

"Whatever." But she was so hungry right now. She hadn't eaten last night. She gave up without a fight.

Servants filed in and left delicious mouth watering food on the table. She still had her manners though and waited for Sesshomaru to take the first bite. As soon as he had, she leaned forward about to dig in, and then…

_SLAM _

"What do you think you're doing sitting next to _MY _man!?!"

Sesshomaru sighed and because Kagome was sitting so close to him she could have sworn she heard him mumble an, "oh shit."

'There goes my wonderful, peaceful, normal breakfast.' She set her chopsticks down with the soft 'Clink'. She sighed knowing that if Sesshomaru just swore it must be someone that he must truly hate, or at least fear. There was only one being that she thought met these standards.

"You know you just ruined a peaceful breakfast. What do you want _Lady Hanako?_"

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**A/N: Another chapter out and finished. Really short but I still think it's good. Hope you like it. Well I don't have much to say so yea. Review if you want. They really do help though. Until next time… **

**AristocraticAssassinLover**


	14. Chapter 13: This Is Your Betrothed

**A/N: Sorry this took so long to come out, but my basketball life is taking a hectic turn. It's up to maybe 2 games a day except on Saturday when there's practice. Anyways I'm writing now so…Onto The Story!!... **

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 13

This Is Your Betrothed…I Feel Bad For You!!  
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"What do you want Lady Hanako?" Kagome sneered.

"_Who _do _you_ think you _are?!_" Lady Hanako hissed.

Kagome decided to be a smart ass.

"Well the last time I checked I'm pretty sure my name was Kagome Higurashi. I grew up on a shrine. I traveled with a half-demon and my friends, and I'm almost positive that I didn't like _you_." She stated calmly, almost boringly, while talking a small sip of her tea, silently mocking her.

Kagome was never one to brag but drastic times call for drastic measures. It's not every day that a _human_ gets to sit next to _Lord Sesshomaru._ The jealously was practically pouring off Hanako.

"Besides he is in my debt. I saved him from a terror even he couldn't run from. What a horrible monster to. About 5'5 a little on the thin side, and absolutely _scary looking._" Kagome gave a dramatic shiver while giving a pointed look at Lady Hanako.

"Well I'm sure I could have done a better job of protecting him then you." She boasted. Kagome swore she heard Sesshomaru give a very unlordly snort.

'She's not very bright is she? No wonder Sesshomaru couldn't talk some sense into her. He might have better luck speaking gibberish to a deaf mute.'

"Well _Lady Hanako_ as much as I enjoy your sterling presence, my attention is required elsewhere. So for now farewell." Kagome stood ready to sidestep around the fire breathing dragon, when she felt pity for Sesshomaru when she got an idea. Before she walked out she winked at Sesshomaru a silent promise she would save him in due time. Sesshomaru could only imagine what catastrophes would occur now.

_Sesshomaru and Hanako _

"So Sesshy-kun, what have you been up lately? Have you been thinking about me as much as I have you? Are you getting prepared for our joining you know it's only in a decade. I'm so excited. You're so lucky to get married off to me. Do you know just how many males I had to fight off to stay loyal to you. Even some females..." He knew she was lying. Not only could he smell it so much he could taste it, but nobody in their right mind would want to mate with…this creature…

_15 Minutes and Counting_

'She just won't shut up. What is the miko doing. She needs to get me out of here now! I'm tempted to permanently shut her mouth. It would do all living things a favor.' It was true. Hanako was still having her one sided conversation. He never answered in fact he never even looked at her, but she wasn't deterred. She figured he was just shy being in the presence of such a beautiful women and wanted to keep his dignity. She then thought of a way to 'rid him of his shyness'. She reached over and laid an overly manicured hand on his bicep. He was going to rid her of it when the miko burst in panting heavily like she had just run a marathon.

_Flashback_

Kagome could have gone to save Sesshomaru a long time ago, he was being tortured and he couldn't do anything about it. On top of that it was her duty to save him so she couldn't be punished, and he deserved it. But after 15 minutes of walking by to make sure he was still suffering. She took pity on him and decided to commence with operation: **Rescue Sesshomaru and Dispose of Imminent Threat A.k.A Lady Hanako**. Ok maybe it wasn't the catchiest phrase, but it would have to do. So she stopped before the door to the dining hall, messed with her hair a little, thought of the last time Souta 'accidently' dyed her hair blue to make her cheeks look flushed from her run when it was actually anger and burst through the doors to tell Hanako of the 'important news.' Besides she had met up with Rin and promised to meet her in the garden in an hour so she had to get this show on the road.

_End Flashback_

Sesshomaru was on the edge of his seat ready to pounce on the naïve miko. She didn't know how alluring she looked in that instant. Her face flushed, hair mussed, clothes messed up and heaving like a warrior that just returned home from a battle. He knew that if he were to act on his impulses her plan would be ruined and Hanako would go off on him making things worse, besides he wanted to see what his little miko had in store for the unsuspecting occupants of the House of Moon (**a/n: not mine got the name from another story I read a while ago can't remember the name but I loved the name and stuck with it so yea not mine…**)

"Lady Hanako you have to come and quick!!" She gasped out. Her hand on her heart to make it even more convincing, she didn't really think it was needed with her though.

"Why would one with my status listen to a worthless ningen such as yourself?" she asked haughtily. Sesshomaru was ready to rip her throat out but reconsidered when he saw the glare the miko gave him. Hanako was oblivious with her nose turned up in the air so high you could see her boogers.

"There is this beautiful, no _gorgeous_, no…_**magnificent**_…being in the garden asking for you. I went to talk to him but he said he was here on one sole purpose. To ask the great Lady Hanako for her hand in marriage. He said if I didn't bring you to him at once he would disembowel me. So you have to come _please!!!_" She cried making hand gestures and her eyes were big making her story seem so much more real. She had to admit her acting wasn't as bad as she thought it would be she kinda believed her story herself. Sesshomaru was thinking along the same lines but he knew her story was absolutely false in every way. There was no way anyone could get pass his guards and even if they did they would be killed as soon as found. Besides just as he mentioned earlier no one would want to mate her.

'And no one is more gorgeous than me.' He thought arrogantly.

Lady Hanako was listening as soon as the petite miko had said beautiful. When she had finished her speech Hanako was up and out of her seat standing in front of the miko.

"Where in the gardens?" She asked immediately.

'She's not very loyal is she?' Kagome and Sesshomaru thought simultaneously.

"Follow me." She said and motioned for Sesshomaru to come too. He wouldn't want to miss this.

She led them to a secluded part of the gardens she had spotted from her room earlier it was perfect. It had a small koi pond with a muddy shore still not dry from the last time it rained. There was also a statue that was placed on the other side that looked like a god to her. It was made of marble, but with a little illusion spell it would look like a real demon. It had all the details, it just needed color. So Kagome placed an illusion spell on the statue to make it look like InuNoTashio and Sesshomaru combined and made the koi pond 'disappear.'

"Right there." She pointed to the 'demon.' Kagome gestured for Sesshomaru to stop, when she did. Lady Hanako should never have trusted Kagome when she had that look in her eye. Maybe next time she won't be so gullible…yea right…

Hanako almost tripped over her own feet in a rush to get to the gorgeous being in front of her. Screw Sesshomaru he could have the miko if he wanted, with looks like that he was sure to be powerful. She licked her lips before dashing towards 'him.' It all happened in slow motion, at least to the people watching. The spell over the pond disappeared, Lady Hanako slipped on the mud and fell face first into the pond, ruining her overly expensive kimono, but that didn't stop her. She was so determined to get to the 'demon' she just got right back up and rushed for 'him' again. When she got within arms length Kagome dissolved the illusion spell on the statue returning it to its marble state. Lady Hanako didn't stop her momentum in time though, her eyes widened while she crashed into the statue bouncing off and falling back into the koi pond, while she came up sputtering.

Kagome was on the ground rolling with laughter. Operation:** Rescue Sesshomaru and Dispose of Imminent Threat A.k.A Lady Hanako** was a COMPLETE success!! It took all her will power to wait until the prank was finished before she laughed or else it would be ruined, but when she crashed into the statue like that, it was just too much for the poor miko. She was sure her sides were going to burst with unrestrained mirth!

Sesshomaru eyes were wide and his shoulders were shaking minutely. Nobody would ever know not even the miko, Sesshomaru was using all the restraint and control he had learned over the centuries to keep from outright laughing at the scene. The snort that escaped couldn't be helped.

'Who knew my little miko could be so…_devious_…'

Lady Hanako stomped over to her seething with hatred and something darker for the miko.

"What did you just do?" she hissed between clenched teeth she was wet, embarrassed, and it all happened in front of her Sesshomaru.

"I made a funny." She said when she felt under control enough to speak but after she uttered those words she just collapsed into another round of laughter.

Sesshomaru seeing that his miko couldn't handle the task of speaking right now he took it upon himself. He schooled his face to one of perfect boredness.

"You have shown this Sesshomaru that you are not loyal. Therefore the arranged marriage will be called off. I will let Lord Kisho know of your actions as well as the consequences. I will not be mated to one who cannot be loyal while in the _presence_ of her _chosen_." He said coldly to make his point. The miko had set this up perfect. Not only would she probably leave him alone for at least a little while, but she had given him a reason to call off the marriage, while being honorable. Nobody royal mates a whore.

'My miko is the most clever little vixen I have ever met.' Speaking of Kagome the poor little thing was still on the ground holding her sides while tears coursed down her cheeks.

Lady Hanako balked. He couldn't be serious. She did act on impulse but who wouldn't when hearing that situation. Now he was going to call off the mating, and had every right to. Even though it was a statue she took it for another male and acted upon it in her _chosen's_ own house. She was screwed. She had shamed herself and family. She stopped right in front of the still laughing miko and breathed deeply as if she was suppressing the urge to strike the miko, which she probably was but would never succeed. There was no use embarrassing herself more than she already has.

She leaned down into her ear, and whispered,

"You. Will. Pay." This shocked Kagome so much that her giggles quieted. When Hanako made the move to leave, Kagome couldn't let her leave with the last word, so she blurted out…

"Says the girl that has mud and dirt all over her kimono and ran head first into a statue thinking it was a GOD!" She roared the last part as her laughter started all over again. Lady Hanako ran into the house planning on gathering her stuff and leaving ASAP.

When Sesshomaru was sure that Hanako was gone and nobody but the miko was around to witness his next action, he sat down next to the miko, shook his head and let out a …small chuckle…

Kagome had to stop laughing because she could no longer breathe, but when Sesshomaru laughed, oxygen or no, her joy and mirth reached a whole new level.

'If she doesn't cease her laughter soon she will pass out. She is turning an interesting shade of blue. Not that I mind at least not her laughter it is oddly…soothing…' Sesshomaru snorted with that thought. His little miko had cleverness and a quick wit.

'All the more reason I will not back out in my pursuit of her.' Sesshomaru looked over at the now calming miko.

'No I will not back out.'

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**A/N: HAHAHAHAHAHA I was laughing my butt off as I wrote this chapter!! If you don't find it funny I don't care. I thought it was HALARIOUS! Don't worry that won't be the last of Lady Hanako and I'm pretty sure Rin is going to make an appearance next chapter. Review and tell me if you liked the chapter. Until next time… **

**Yours Truly, **

**AristocraticAssassinLover **


	15. Chapter 14: An Unexpected Encounter

**A/N: Not much to say today so I'll just get on with the story…But I assure I have read some other stories and their chapters are much longer and I felt bad about leaving you guys to read such short chapters so I made this one as long as I could before I felt as though I was rambling so tell me what you think of the length. I'll try to make them longer as I go along.**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 14

An Unexpected But Needed Encounter…

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"Get up Kagome-chan!!" A young girl screeched. "The sun is up which means it's time for you to get up too!!" Her attempts at waking the un-dead being known as Kagome were futile. She would just mumble something incoherent and go back to sleep.

The cute little girl pouted but then took on a look of fierce determination. She hopped onto the bed took one look at the sleeping figure and then pounced. She tickled mercilessly, but to no avail. She barely stirred. This brought concern to the young girl. No one had ever resisted her wake-up calls for so long she must be dead!! So she did the one thing she always did when faced with a distressing situation…

"SESSHOMARU-SAMA!!" Rang throughout the entire Western Lands. Milliseconds after she screamed the second syllable, the door to the room slammed open. Sesshomaru scanned the room for any signs of immediate danger, but to his confusion found none.

"What is it Rin?"

"Sesshomaru-sama, Kagome-chan is DEAD!" Rin started to sob.

Sesshomaru could clearly hear her heartbeat and steady breathing so that was quickly ruled out. She was simply sleeping, no he could hear Rin's creative ways of trying to wake the girl for almost 30 minutes she was sleeping, no…hibernating…yeah that seemed like the appropriate word.

"Be calm Rin, the girl lives." Her tears instantly stopped. Her Sesshomaru-sama was never wrong so if he said she wasn't dead, then she simply wasn't. There wasn't any need for a further explanation. Now that her fears were gone and she came to the realization that nothing she could do would wake her, she found interest in something else. A butterfly flew through the window and then back out.

"No come back little buggie. Rin wants to play with you." With that she scampered out of the room that would put a demon cheetah's speed to shame.

'Most likely to the gardens.' Sesshomaru mused. 'Now how to wake this girl…' He searched his mind for something drastic. He knew why the miko was in such a deep sleep and couldn't blame her. In fact he had been there and wanted to rest now too, but that wasn't acceptable.

'But the miko would not be allowed to continue this behavior.' He had thought that Rin's presence would help. Not unlike everything else that had to do with the miko, he was wrong. He then thought of the perfect thing….

_Flashback to Last Night After the Incident With Hanako_

_"Could you believe the look on her face." Kagome cried, almost bursting into uncontrollable giggles again. She had just recovered from her last round._

_"Hn." Was all he replied with._

_They were on their way to their chambers to get some rest when a messenger said that Lord Kisho requested and audience with Lord Sesshomaru and the miko. They couldn't very well decline him without starting a war, so with a simultaneous resigned sigh from the both of them, the backtracked their steps to the study they had been previously occupying._

_Just as they sat down the door burst open revealing a very furious demon lord._

_"What have you done to my cousin?!?" He shrieked. Even Kagome winced from the loudness of his voice. He seemed to gather himself under control, and speak in a more reasonable tone,_

_"What has Hanako ever done to the both of you to warrant such an act of foolishness upon her?" He asked referring to the little prank Kagome had pulled earlier._

_"Lord Kisho as much as I respect your position in life I no longer _enjoy_ your cousin's presence. I have pointed this out to you many times, and yet every time you tell me I must put up with my intended and learn to like her for she will be my mate. You said that unless there is a valid reason to which would give me a 'reasonable excuse' as you so put it to seek other's company, I would have to make due. I had told you she was not loyal, you did not believe me. This is understandable considering she is your relative, but now I have proof and many witnesses that will tell you what transpired, proving she is disloyal. I no longer wish to have any contact with the wench, no leave before you are _removed_." Although stated in a calm voice the threat was as clear as crystal._

_"It's because of this bitch, isn't it." He hissed. Kagome tensed. A furious Sesshomaru was being restrained by Tatsu. No one was quite sure when he had entered and how they could of missed him but that didn't matter right now. Tatsu had known that when the Northern Lord had left with such a look of anger on his face it would be in the Northern Lands best interest if he accompanied him, secretly of course. When the dragon had heard the threat in Sesshomaru's voice he knew it was time to return. When Kisho uttered those words and Sesshomaru's aura had turned a violent red, he had leapt into action. Containing as much of the Western Lord's fury as possible. This was easier said than done._

_'The pup has gotten _much _stronger." He sucked in a lungful of air that had been lost when Sesshomaru delivered a particularly strong blow to his gut._

_"You must calm down pup." Tatsu growled into his ear. Sesshomaru didn't even he him. He was seeing red, particularly Lord Kisho's blood splattered all over his study if he could get out of whoever was restraining him. Nothing was registering that it was his ally that was holding him from making a grave mistake or how childish he was acting. All he could sense was the anger in his chosen's aura and the aura of the fool that had insulted his chosen._

_Kagome for the most part looked deadly calm._

_"That was uncalled for and unnecessary, of you Lord Kisho."_

_"I don't care what you think, you miserable excuse for a miko." He all but snarled. Still Kagome kept her temper in check. Sesshomaru was furious so was Kisho and if she lost it all hell would break loose._

_"I don't care very much for your insults, _milord_." She replied in her still calm voice, when really all she wanted to do was beat the lord into a bloody pulp._

_"Shut up! I don't know what Sesshomaru sees in you for you must have him bewitched. You will never amount to anything. All you are and will ever be good for is spreading your legs. And even that is questionable when a half-breed wouldn't accept you. You're not even even worthy enough to be called Inuyasha's wench. It was a wise choice on Inuyasha's part to pick the un-dead miko for his own instead of you. It would have shamed all of Japan if he had."_

_Silence._

_Even Sesshomaru had stilled at hearing the Lord's low jab._

_If the Lord Kisho's mind hadn't been clouded with rage he would have never even considered uttering those words. This would have prevented a considerable amount of pain on his part, but what was done was done._

_Kagome stood up._

_"I apologize for being such a burden milord. I will now relinquish you all of my abominable presence." She turned to Sesshomaru,_

_"I'm so sorry milord for dishonoring you and hope that in the future you can forgive me for my transgressions." She nodded once to Tatsu and then walked out the door. Stunned by the miko's apologies Sesshomaru returned to his rational mind. Tatsu released him, then he turned on Kisho_

_"Return to the Northern Lands and wait for me there. What you did was most disrespectful and wrong. You have dishonored yourself. Leave." Tatsu was now furious…no…livid, with the lord. How could anyone say such things to a girl like her. But what disturbed the dragon was the way she had looked when she walked out. Those were not sarcastic responses. She was serious. When she had turned to nod at him one last time she looked so…broken…_

_Tatsu turned to Sesshomaru_

_"You had better go locate the miko, she did not look…well…"_

_He never replied but shot out of his seated position like a bullet._

With Kagome

_She was walking along some mountain range. She wasn't sure where but that didn't matter. She needed to distance herself from everyone right now, and she didn't deserve anything less than traveling in the freezing climates of the mountain in her attire while struggling to breathe in the thinning oxygen supply. She had always known about her inadequacies and failure in life. Whether it be in school, helping with the jewel shards, or just burning the omelet that she was helping her mother cook for breakfast. She had assumed that everyone had forgiven her and had moved on but she was wrong. At least that's what she thought._

_Her mind right now was just repeating all the times when someone had told her she was horrible or a failure. Replaying all the names Inuyasha had called her. Showing all the F's she had gotten for missing school. Reminding her of her futile cooking attempts when her brother had told her she sucked. It even reminded her of the time when she had spilled paint all over herself in preschool and the teacher had called her a klutz. Good naturedly of course but that wasn't registering in her mind right now._

_'I have get away until I can think of something to repay everyone with. I have done nothing but stain this earth and should never have been allowed to live, but I do not deserve the luxury of death.' While she thought she stumbled upon a small opening in the mountain, literally. If she hadn't of tripped over the snow bank she would have never have found it._

_'No one will find me here.' She crawled into the opening and sat towards the back. It couldn't even be called a cave for it was too small for her to even sit up straight. Hunched over she just looked into space. Her mind was addled with grief and ways she could make everything up to everyone. When she started to feel tired, she refused herself sleep._

_'I do not deserve that luxury either.' So she sat there. Soaked to the bone, cold and sick with regret, until her body, with her permission or not gave out. Her heart started to stop and her eyes drooped closed._

_But she wouldn't die. The gods weren't ready for her. When she fell asleep, she dreamed of a large field surrounded in flowers._

Kagome's Dream

_"Child awaken." Someone called out to her. She did not want to talk no one deserved to hear her horrid voice. But she looked towards the voice. _

_There stood the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. With one dark hair to her hip and a naturally flawless face, clothed in battle armor with a sword strapped to her side. She looked every bit the female warrior._

_'Why would one such as her wish to speak to me?' The woman sighed at Kagome's thoughts. This was not actually a dream but a realm were the gods spoke of urgent matters. For Kagome though she had made it look more appealing, more…happy…so her thoughts were not hidden but she would not let Kagome know that._

_"Child do you recognize me?" Kagome shook her head ashmed that she could forget such a wonderful woman's name._

_"It is I Midoriko." Kagome looked up, but still refused to speak._

_"What the Northern Lord said was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong on every account. The gods know this. You must not dwell on what he says." Kagome looked down._

_'No you are wrong. He was absolutely right.' She despaired._

_"Kagome if you do not wake up many people will cry over your loss."_

_'Now you are wrong.' She thought. But Kagome's thoughts were not read because Midoriko's time was running out her connection with Kagome was fading._

_"Kagome if you do not wake up now, you might never be able to. Please child for the sake of no one's but your family wake up." She pleaded. Kagome shook her head. Midoriko's figure was fading,_

_'Typical no one would want to stay in my presence for an extended period of time.' She thought._

_"Your savior will come for you. I swear child." With that promise Kagome's mind went blank and all she saw was black._

With Sesshomaru

_His beast had taken over long ago. He had been searching for over a week now, and still he hadn't seen hide nor hair of his little miko. She had taken extra precaution that she wouldn't leave a trail. He knew she hadn't gone home because he could tell the well hadn't been used. The magic surrounding it lay dormant._

_He had torn up over half of Japan by now looking for her. He couldn't bring himself to kill anything living other then plants though. Every time he raised his claw to kill, her face would flash in his mind and calm him long enough for the lucky soul to escape._

_All of the other lords and ladies had joined the search. And still NOTHING. He refused to believe she had died, whether it be suicide or not, that was not an option. He body was going to collapse any minute now though. He had not stopped since he had left the study. His legs gave out from under him and his eyes closed without his consent. There were no enemies around here anyway he had scared them all into hiding days ago. Oddly a vision formed behind his eyes, almost like a dream._

_But Sesshomaru never dreamed. Until now._

Sesshomaru's Dream

_"Get up demon." A woman snapped. He was on high alert immediately. He spotted the woman. She looked a lot like his Kagome with dark hair and men's clothing style but certainly not as beautiful. _(It's Midoriko if you haven't realized)

_"Do you truly wish to find the miko?" She asked seriously, almost as if there was some hidden message in the question._

_"Hai." There was no hesitation in his voice or mind._

_"When you find her you will help her recover from her…state...agreed?" He narrowed his eyes. What could she mean by _state_ was the miko harmed?_

_At the time he would have gave anything to have it be physical pain rather than what she was going through. What he saw would be forever etched into his soul. _

_An image almost like a projection showed up on his right. Pictures of a young Kagome being scolded, yelled at, teased, called names, or even being so far as to be physically harmed were playing._

_"You see these." When he took some of his attention off the images and onto her she continued. "These are her memories, this is the reason why she thinks so little of herself." He winced when it projected him calling her "worthless" and "pathetic." _

_It then changed to an image of an almost blue Kagome hunched over, shivering. A snarl erupted from his throat. "This is her current condition. She is not dead, but will not last for much longer. If I divulge to you the location of her body you must help restore her mind and soul. She is beyond broken now and needs a "knight in shining armor" as she would put it." She said._

_"You will tell me where she is now or you will not take another breath." She was going to tell him she was already dead but thought better of it. He was determined to find her and she wasn't going to keep him much longer. She just needed to confirm that he would not harm her already fragile state anymore._

_"I will bring you to her you must be _extremely gentle_. Understood?" He nodded not trusting himself to speak._

_"Then wake up." Before he could ask what she meant. He opened his eyes to see clear blue skies. Before him stood a…spirit…for lack of a better word. He recognized her immediately._

_"Take me to her." He snarled. She stepped up to him and the world blurred before they were in front of the small entrance to where Kagome was. The cold was so extreme up here that _he _was shivering._

_"Through that hole is where you'll find her." She then started to fade until she was no more._

_He struggled for what seemed like an eternity to get her out of the hole. He was too big to fit, and then once he got in he couldn't get out with her in his arms. But he'd be damned if he didn't cut off one of his arms to get her out of here before he left her. He finally wriggled her out of the small opening and flew to the Western Citadel. _

_She wouldn't awaken though. He force fed her and made sure she was always clean. He let her rest and left to the library to see if there was something,_ anything _he could do to help her better and faster._

_End Flashback_

Her body was much healthier, but her mind was still wandering. He could sense the despair in her aura.

'I will try one last method.'

"Kagome you must wake up or you will miss your _college exams_." He said in his most desperate voice which wasn't much different than his normal one and he stumbled over the foreign words he had heard her distressing over, but it had the desired effect.

Kagome shot up, there was no way she could miss those. Even if she failed she had to try. As soon as she was fully conscious though her mind reminded her of what happened in the last week. She looked up and saw Sesshomaru. She dropped onto her knees in front of him and started apologizing.

"Stop." He said sternly but immediately realized his mistake. She took it as an order and froze mid word.

He knelt down in front of her.

"Please Kagome, you must stop this foolishness. I will do anything to get the old Kagome back." He said in a soft whisper.

"May I go home?" She asked timidly almost like she was afraid of the consequences of asking.

"Only if you promise me you will come back."

"H-hai, I promise."

"Then I will take you now."

This might be what she needed, to see her mother and family. Right now she needed someone that knew how to deal with this kind of thing while he gathered information on it so that he could take over himself.

He stopped in front of the well.

"I will be back to retrieve you in a month's time." She nodded and waited. She was waiting for him to turn away first, he realized this. As soon as his back was turned, he felt the magic of the well stir and her scent was gone. He returned to the castle determined to be prepared for her next arrival.

_With Kagome_

She climbed out of the well and into her house. She called out for her mom, but no one answered. At first she worried but then found a note saying that they had gone on a family vacation and could not wait any longer for her, but that they would not plan another one unless they were sure she could come.

'Not even my own family wants to be with me.' She thought misinterpreting the note wrong.

She lay down on her bed, just staring at the ceiling for the longest time. That is until she heard someone tapping on her window. She absently opened it and laid back down not even paying attention. Subconsciously she thought it was Inuyasha. But when she saw a tall man in black slacks and his hair pulled back in a low ponytail, she didn't even blink, not caring if he had ill-intent. The stranger noticed this and was scowling on the inside. But he wasn't a stranger at all. No it was the Taiyoukai of the Western Lands or used to be. He still was to demons, but to the humans of this era he was known as Tashio Sesshomaru: Ruthless and Cunning Entrepreneur, rather than ruthless and cold demon lord.

He owned Tashio Inc. and was a multibillionaire. But that didn't matter that wasn't why he was here.

No he was here for the miko.

He had counted out the days. It was exactly 500 years from the day he had promised to pick her up in a month. He thought about contacting her earlier but didn't want to disrupt the time balance. His younger self had no clue how to handle her, so he was going to help heal her and then send her back to the past. He had been dealing with human woman for over 5 centuries and had some experience in this field.

He was also much…nicer…he didn't have a reputation to uphold here at least one that he cared very much about. He was already set for life in this time. He had enough money to pay for his great-great-great-grandchildren's college fees in advance.

He picked her up by the waist sat down on the bed and pulled her in his lap.

"Kagome, it's me Sesshomaru. You have to get better little one. I do not like seeing you in this state. It brings me pain. I want to see you smile, a _real_ smile." Kagome gazed into his eyes as if seeing him for the first time. Then the dam broke. Kagome broke down crying over everything she never had the chance to. Her father's death, her non-existent social life, her family's grief over never seeing her, and even that cute little baby doll she wanted when she was five and her mother didn't have enough money to get it. She never shed a tear over it hoping to appear strong in her mother's time of need. She cried for hours sobbing uncontrollably. Sesshomaru just held her and rocked her back and forth while rubbing soothing circles on her back. The front of his shirt was drenched in tears by the time she had finally slowed down enough to fall asleep. But he didn't care. This was the first step of the healing process he had planned out.

_Morning_

Kagome awoke that morning to the sound of birds chirping. The sun was high in the sky and she was sure she had set her alarm to go off at 8am. She reached over to see if the batteries died when she felt empty air. She looked around her room and found her alarm clock smashed against her wall, shattered into tiny pieces.

'How…' Then she remembered last night.

'A modern day Sesshomaru.' She wanted to smile. She really did but something in her just didn't have enough energy to pull it off. Then something around her waist tightened. She shoved at it thinking it was Buyo using her as a pillow again, but when it tightened once again she looked down. It was an arm…

_It was an arm!!_ She started to panic. Then a soothing growl vibrated at her back, it calmed her. Then she noticed the magenta stripes on the muscular arm.

'He stayed with me.' Her lips twitched upwards, but then returned to a regular flat line.

"Are you awake yet my little miko?" He whispered into her ear and gave a little kiss to the top of it, hoping to stimulate some kind of reaction whether it be a hug of a slap to the face, but he got nothing but a nod from her confirming his question.

He had been disappointed when she had awakened so early. He had not held her in 500 years and her presence was _sorely _missed whether she believed it or not. He would not lie. He had been with other women, simply because he had needs. But he would fantasize that every one of them had been his little spitfire miko, and even that wasn't enough sometimes. When that horrendous contraption mistaken for an alarm clock went off at _8am_, he had ripped it from the wall and thrown it into the other, effectively quieting it. He wanted to spend as much time with his little miko as possible. With all the energy she had used last night he was sure she would sleep until at least evening. _He _was planning on sleeping until evening.

"Are you hungry little one?" He asked while giving her waist a little squeeze. She was going to shake her head in the negative, but her belly decided it didn't like that answer and before she could answer her stomach gave a little rumble. Sesshomaru could feel her embarrassment. But at least she wasn't _ashamed_. He was making progress faster than he expected.

"I'll take that as a yes. Go get ready I am taking you out to eat. Don't worry about your clothes," he said when she glanced towards her closet. "I don't care what you _look_ like, just that you are _there,_ my little pet." She blushed at that. He found it cute. He removed himself from the bed and said he would wait for her downstairs and that she shouldn't take too long. She nodded and scurried off to the bathroom with a pair of plain jeans and a large blue t-shirt.

She was downstairs in 10 minutes. She was not going to rush but it felt as though she hadn't eaten for 2 weeks. She didn't realize how right she was.

They stepped out of the house and into the nice afternoon breeze. Sesshomaru lead her to an awaiting limo. She gawked at the site of it.

"You want _me _to ride in _there_?"

And quick and precise "Hai." was her answer.

Before she could protest he simply picked her up, opened the door, and sat down with her in his lap, and they were off.

20 minutes later they pulled up at a restaurant so fancy she couldn't even pronounce the name of the place but the sign read "Au Belier d'Argent." They walked in and were immediately seated. She felt so _misplaced_. Everyone here was wearing designer name clothing like _Armani _and _Dolce and Gabbana._ She was here in an outfit that most of these people's meals cost more. She looked at the floor as they walked. Sesshomaru correctly guessing her turmoil took off the Armani jacket he was wearing and placed it around her shoulders.

"Now you fit in." Was all he said. They were seated in a window seat and she was receiving many jealous stares and glares from all the women in the area, even some from the men.

Breakfast was eaten in comfortable silence, well as comfortable as you can be while being the most sought after bachelor eating in a 5 star restaurant in a girl dressed in an outfit all of the women would rather go nude than wear. Kagome just seemed content with ignoring them all. Kagome wasn't sure what she had eaten because Sesshomaru had ordered in French but it was good so she wasn't sure she even wanted to know.

10 minutes later they were again seated in the limo, although this time Kagome sat on the seat instead of his lap to his disappointment.

"Where would you like to go next?" She looked up surprised at his question. She had assumed that he would take her to eat and then drop her off. Someone with his money had to have a _very_ important job he had to get to and she didn't want to ruin the future Sesshomaru's life too.

"Home, please." She whispered.

"Not an option."

"Huh?" She asked confused. Didn't he want to get away from her?

'He probably doesn't want to drive me all the way back home.' She thought she made a move to open the door but she was pulled from her seat and onto the Taiyoukai lap,

'Much better.' He thought

She was sitting with her back resting against his chest and her arms pinned to her sides, both of his arms were wrapped around her middle.

"Wha…"

He cut her off.

"You cannot be trusted to sit by yourself with trying to escape or is my presence so bad that you would jump out into oncoming traffic to get away?" She was _so _embarrassed. The car ride was so smooth she didn't know they were moving and the tinted windows weren't helping.

"N-no. Of c-course not." She thought she did _not_ want him thinking that at _all_!

"Good then if you do not pick a destination that we can journey to together, then we will sit in this vehicle all day."

"Why do you not detest me?" She whispered.

"Because my little pet, you are _mine_ and I will _not_ leave you alone when it can be helped." He whispered back.

"What about work?" She asked. If he was giving up work because of her…

"I work when I want. I am CEO of Tashio Inc. My job will be of no hindrance of our time together. I have more than enough employees to put to work." It was a half-truth. He was always at work. He didn't trust anyone with handling the whole company. But for his little miko he would sell his company if it meant she would get better and spend more time with him. In this era there wasn't the constant threat of an enemy to worry over. He could always call in all the favors people owed him to work for him if things started to get out of control at work. He was determined to use that to his advantage.

"The Ta-Ta-Tashio Inc.?" She was speechless. It was the only coherent thought in her mind. She knew he was wealthy from his lifestyle but Tashio Inc. was the biggest and most prosperous business in all of Japan and competing with only a few others at being the most successful in the _world_.

"Hai, little miko that was what the name of my company was the last time I checked." He cracked a smile at her awestruck look.

"Wow." She thought as she gave a tiny smile, happy with the knowledge that Sesshomaru was so successful.

"I know." He breathed. But it wasn't the fact about is job but his little miko had smiled, albeit a tiny one but still a _smile_!

'Back to the earlier subject.'

"What would you like to do next. Anything you want you will have. There is a new mall that just opened." He suggested. She shook her head.

"The new amusement park." Again another negative reply.

"Then what?" He asked.

"The park." He was surprised but he knew he shouldn't have been. The miko is spending time with one of the wealthiest people on the planet, free to do whatever she wants for the day, no matter what the price and she picked _the park_. But that was why he loved her she was not greedy in any way. Most wenchs would go to every store they had ever heared of and spent every penny he had.

But not this miko. _His _miko.

And kami was he proud to call her so.

But today she was going to be selfish. He was going to _force _her.

"No."

"Ok." She replied thinking she had said something that had made him upset. Of course the great owner of _Tashio Inc_. wouldn't want to spend time in the _park_.

So absorbed in her thoughts she didn't notice when Sesshomaru pressed the intercom button and gave some directions to the driver.

He still hadn't let go of her yet either. She wondered if he noticed.

He did, and wasn't planning on letting go anytime soon. He did shift her into a more comfortable position though. He released her arms and twisted her so that she was facing a little towards the window.

They had been driving for what she guessed was about an hour and a half when she started smelling salt. Ocean salt.

Her only thought was, 'Uh oh.'

15 minutes after that the limo rolled to a stop. The intercom came on,

"We have arrived sir." Then the door opened, revealing the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

What looked to be miles of sand stretched on to mix with the most crystal clear blue water she had ever seen. There were seagulls flying over head and little shops were placed here and there. She knew she was at the beach but had never been to this section of the beach. She didn't even know there could be a _classy_ beach.

She then noticed all the famous models, actors and other famous people scattered around. There was no way she was going to be seen with Sesshomaru and ruin his reputation.

Sesshomaru waited patiently for about 5 minutes. When he was sure she wasn't going to move he stood up with her still wrapped in his arms, but when he was sure he had perfect balance, he shifted her to bridal style. They walked out onto the beach and everyone's head turned to stare.

It wasn't uncommon for Tashio Sesshomaru to be seen on this beach. He came he often to clear his head of troubled thoughts. But he showed up with a _woman _being carried in his _arms_. The woman were in envy city, while the men were shocked. Most of them had declared Sesshomaru gay for he was never seen in public with a woman, even for social gatherings. Some had even made bets on how long it would take to announce it publicly.

Kagome buried her face in his chest. Sesshomaru could sense her uneasiness and tried to sooth her.

"Do not worry little one, no one will harm you."

"I know."

"Then why are you uneasy."

"I will ruin your reputation. You are an esteemed and successful business man, while I am a nobody. I should have insisted to go home." He had heard enough.

"No you will not." He struggled with his baser instincts on how to show her affection but he was sure they would cause a big scene if he would to throw her down right here and lavish her body with all his restrained passion.

**Take her!!** His beast thrashed in its cage

'Not here she will never recover, she is not ready for that, she is not a demon and cannot be treated like one at all times. When she is ready I will _not _hesitate.' His beast seemed satisfied with that answer and quieted for a little while.

He walked with her to one of the little shops and set her down in a little bean bag chair **(a/n: I F----- love those chairs if anyone wants to donate one…LOLSz)** and asked her what size she was.

"Why?" She asked genuinely confused. What would he need her clothing size for.

"Just answer and do not lie."

"0." She mumbled.

He was shocked, he knew his miko was thin but a 0. Her diet was now consisting of anything fatting and full of calories and sugar until further notice, that was not a healthy size for someone her height. But he turned around to get what he had come in for anyway.

20 minutes later he returned and all but shoved her into the dressing room ordering her to try the outfit on. Not really paying attention she tried on the outfit…

This was not an _outfit…_

It was a two-piece bathing suit with a flower design on the bottoms and tops detailed in _Diamonds_.

'What does he want me to do with this?'

"Are you finished?" He called from the other side.

"No." She made a move to change into her regular clothes but the door swung open.

She was lying, he could smell it. So he just opened the door and when he did he came precariously close to losing control the only thing stopping him was the scent of the miko in distress.

"What is wrong?" His voice was deep and husky. She was trying to push him out and shut the door. He grabbed her wrists.

"What is wrong?" This time it was his normal voice. It had taken a lot of effort to shove his beast back into his cage this time.

"I'm ugly." She mumbled.

She had to be kidding. She _had _to be _kidding_.

She was beautiful…no…

Breathtaking…no…

_Magnificent_...yeah… that sounded closer to home.

"I never want to hear such lies spew from your mouth again. Is this understood?" He took a step closer to her.

"H-hai." She wasn't sure what he meant. But she guessed the right answer so he took a step back.

"Come." He said. When he couldn't hear her move her turned back around.

Her eyes were wide and she was shaking her head rapidly.

"There is _no _way I am going out _there_ with all of _them._"

"Then I will have the beach cleared so there will be no prying eyes." His was disappointed with her answer.

"Fine, I'll go." He would have gladly cleared the beach so they could maybe do some more …private… activities.

He turned around and began to walk, she hesitated but followed. They walked up to the register. He gave the man at the counter the tag he had removed from the suit, and he scanned it.

"1,276.99." Kagome heard the price and moved so quickly to go put her other clothes back on that Sesshomaru almost missed her arm when he reached out to still her. Sesshomaru gave the man his full name and told it to take it from the account he had set up.

"Have a good day sir."

Sesshomaru was dragging her out the store and onto the beach.

"Wait! My clothes, they're still in the dressing room."

"You don't need them. I will replace them if I must." He said while never breaking his stride.

They were out on the middle of beach where it seemed some people had cleared out like this was his usual spot.

'Probably is.'

He snapped his fingers and a couple men came out laid down a big towel put an even bigger umbrella over it for shade, and two men carried out a cooler full of drinks.

"Rest here. Do not move until I return. If I find out you have, there will be consequences." She nodded. "Call for me if you need _anything_." He stressed the word to make his point.

"Hai."

"I will be right back." With that he pivoted and disappeared into the crowd.

She laid down on the towel and looked towards the water. It was so clear, and looked so inviting she just wanted to go run and dive in. But no doubt that kind of foolish behavior would not be tolerated here. In fact there wasn't one person in the water. They all seemed to be just lounging on the beach.

When Sesshomaru returned she was speechless. He was wearing only a pair of black swim trunks that brought out the details of his chest out even more. His chest…was the most breathtaking thing ever. He had a smooth upper half, and abs that would put any body builder to shame. He was fit to a mouth watering extent, but not overly so. Even though she knew that he was _much _stronger than he looked. He had let his long hair out to float in the breeze, and although she could only see his calves, she found herself longing to see the rest of his body. That thought was squashed as quickly as it had come.

Sesshomaru could tell the miko was admiring his body so why couldn't he do the same?

She was thin but it seemed to look good on her, it's not like you could see her rib cage or anything. She had soft curves that were natural unlike all of the others here who had surgery to make their bodies the way they were. Her legs and arms were toned but still looked feminine from running all over feudal Japan. She was busty but not overly so that they looked fake. Altogether she was a true beauty.

She was still staring at his chest…

"Do you like what you see?" He asked with amusement in his voice. She 'eeked' and quickly averted her eyes. He sat down on the towel beside her. He pulled her flush against his side, and wrapped his arms around her. After Kagome calmed down some she timidly put her arms around his and closed her eyes. She jumped when he gave a pleased growl but did not move.

They laid there for a while just listening to the ocean waves crash and the seagulls over head squawk.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes when the miko started to squirm. She was gazing out at the ocean with a longing in her eyes.

"Do you wish to swim?" He did not usually, no he _never_ went swimming but if it would make his little miko happy then swimming is what they would do.

When she did answer he stood up pulling her with him. He released her only long enough to grab her hand and pull her towards the water. She was hesitant but then eagerly tried to run ahead of him but he pulled her back.

"I don't want you to hurt yourself. Stay by my side at all times." She nodded too excited to swim in such wonderful waters to give a vocal answer. Finally they reached the water and he let her hand go. She didn't care what these people thought of her, she was here and she was going to swim dammit! She run as fast as she could into the water and once she was in deep enough she dove in. She came up sputtering and laughing so gaily, Sesshomaru felt warmth spread in his chest.

"Come in!" She said already having grabbed his hand and tried dragging him into the water.

All eyes turned to him positive he would reject the girl and make her cry. Certainly the great Tashio Sesshomaru would not lower himself to indulge in such a childish activity. Especially with _her_.

They were wrong.

Sesshomaru picked her up bridal style, waded into the waters and unceremoniously dropped her. She came up laughing and smiling so big it might crack her face. She dove underwater, but when she didn't resurface right away he bent down to search for her even with the clear waters he couldn't find her. He should have looked behind him because Kagome sprouted up and pushed him; he fell into the water and came up with a look on his face like a predator stalking his prey. She took a step backwards, but he was too quick. He tackled her in the water careful to keep her head above the surface at all times while splashing and just having a good time in general. A little while later when Kagome was tired, (Her body still hadn't recovered completely from her last incident) they got out and lay down on the towels to dry. This time he made no movement to pull her close, but she surprised him by snuggling into his chest, a couple seconds later he could hear her soft snoring.

He wrapped his arms around her content with all things in the world for now.

When they were relatively dry, he picked her up without ever stirring her and carried her to an awaiting limo. They left the beach with everyone in shock at what had occurred today.

The ride to her home was silent with the miko sleeping in his lap.

When they arrived at her house he brought her to her room and awoke her only to tell her to change. He waited outside until she announced she was done. He then entered to tuck her into bed.

"Thank you Sesshomaru so much. I had so much fun today. I promise to pay you back somehow for that bathing suit you bought me." She said already drifting off into dream land.

Not wanting to keep her awake he simply answered with an "Ok."

"Are you going back to work tomorrow?"

"No. I have taken off the whole month to spend time with you, my little miko."

"O…k…" She slurred falling asleep.

"Good…night…Sess…sho…ma…ru."

"Goodnight Kagome." With that said she was snoring softly.

'Sweet dreams my little miko, sweet dreams.' He thought looking at the peaceful expressions of her sleeping form.

This day had gone better than he could have ever hoped for. The miko was starting to recover already.

'And all it had taken was a quick dip in the ocean.' He kept a vigilant watch over Kagome that night determined to make sure nothing would wake her from one of the most peaceful rests he had ever seen her in.

He stroked her cheek and she leaned into his touch.

'I think I might love you Kagome...'

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**A/N: Hope the length was a little better, I know the chapter was a little depressing but I think it came out ok. I'm not sure which Sesshomaru she should end up with the feudal one or the modern one…Well you could tell me what you think…Until next time… **

**AristocraticAssassinLover **

**Peace 1 **


	16. Chapter 15: A Woman's Favorite Event

**A/N: Once again not much to say but guess what guys my basketball team is 1****st**** seat in the playoffs which means we AUTOMATICALLY go to the championship game!! WHOOPIE!!! ****LOLSz**** Wish us luck!!****…Anyways on to the story!!**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 15

A Woman's Favorite Event…SHOPPING!! **(A/N: Just to make this fair this title is not for everyone I personally hate shopping at least for clothes –shudders- right let's continue…)**

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'Is that bacon and eggs?' Kagome sniffed the air again.

'It is. It's coming from the kitchen, but it's so comfy here wrapped up in my blankets. Is it worth it?' As soon as the smell of sausage hit her nose she flew out of bed and down the stairs. Not once did it cross her mind that her appearance might be a little less than perfect.

_With __Sesshomaru_

Sesshomaru had been downstairs making an American breakfast that he had gotten the recipe from one of his best chefs. A simple but delicious meal that included scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, sausages, toast with jelly jam and of course, orange juice.

He had been down here for better part of an hour, cooking for his precious Kagome when he heard her shifting around in her bed. He knew it was only a matter of time before she came bounding downstairs, she had to be hungry. _He _was hungry. After all the rough playing in the water they hadn't eaten anything for dinner. His body was not as resilient as it used to be. In the feudal era he could have gone for weeks without needing rest or sustenance, but in this era where only the mind was needed to prevail and one had practically no use for physical strength unless you had a specific job, his body had become accustomed to eating at least once a day. He could easily go back to his original habits, but there was no need for that.

When he heard her bounding down the stairs he turned to greet her at the doorway but when he saw what was standing there he couldn't control the chuckles that escaped. If he didn't have the control he was well known for he probably would have gone into a laughing fit.

"What?" She asked, "I can't look that bad!"

"Indeed." She didn't look bad she looked _horrible _in an early morning way. The shorts that she had slept in were twisted around the waist so one leg was longer than the other. Her large T-shirt had one side of it tucked in her shorts while her sleeve on the other was just hanging on her shoulder, ready to slip off at a moment's notice, 'not that I mind.' He mused. Her eyes were glazed over and there was a little trail of drool on one side of her mouth, but the most amusing of this little fashion rebellion was her _hair_ if could even be called as such.

It was sticking up at such odd angles that it looked as if it was defying the laws of physics. The left side of her head was lying flat from where she slept on it, while the right was puffy and wavy as most humans' are when first awakening. She looked as if disaster struck Kagome Higurashi and left _no _survivors.

"You made breakfast?" Although she phrased it as a question the real meaning of it was clear, 'You made breakfast and will give some to me now!' The low rumbling coming from her belly also reinforced this warning.

"Hai, and I will give you some," She made a move to sit down but stopped when he shook his head, "after you get clean and dressed for the day."

"Why?" She was really hungry and that food smelled really good. Sesshomaru could see the blatant defiance in her eyes, this was not going to be an easy argument.

"Do not question your lord." Was his answer

"What?"

"This Sesshomaru does not repeat himself."

"What are you talking about? You can't order me around!" She said calmly but suspiciously. She felt more comfortable around this Sesshomaru rather than the feudal era one, there was also the fact that this one couldn't harm her physically without getting in trouble with the law, so she didn't really mind arguing as much with him, but he seemed to have confidence that he would win this argument and she wasn't sure why.

"This Sesshomaru has a big advantage over you or have you forgotten?" He stalked over, and stopped inches away from her. She tensed when he reached into the collar of her shirt. He pulled out the silver chain he had placed around her neck so many moon cycles ago**. (A/N: You guys thought I**** forgot about that right well it's still an active part of this story)** She stiffened. She _had_ forgotten. She had tried so many different and _creative _ways at trying to remove the thing but had given up at attempt 56: Try using corrosive acid to melt through it. The damn thing didn't even get less shiny but she did have burned fingers that took weeks to heal even with miko powers. She was now accustomed to the weight and didn't even notice it.

"So what about the stupid chain." She said with more confidence then she felt. She hadn't forgotten how much that hurt.

"Unless you want a reminder on exactly what purpose this chain serves I suggest you go and dress for the day?" He sat down and slowly took a bite of his eggs purposely teasing her.

"At least tell me where we're going." She was a bit distracted at the sight though. How could someone look _sexy_ while _eating_. 'It's not fair!'

"Somewhere."

"Are you going to specify?"

"No." She huffed but started up the stairs anyway.

"Of course you wouldn't you sad excuse for a business man when all you are is a spoiled puppy that always gets what he wants." She muttered when she had the water running and was sure he wouldn't hear. He did hear though and was going to make her pay for it.

_10 Minutes Later_

Kagome was still soaking in the tub, all her anger and anxiety was gone and she wasn't ready to give it up just yet, that was until,

"Miko, if you don't remove yourself from the bathroom soon, I will be forced to discard your breakfast." Sesshomaru called from outside the door. With speed that would put a cheetah demon to shame, she was washed, dried and had just enough time to put on the towel before she flew out the door and into her room. She was still hungry and was going to get that food Dammit!!

Sesshomaru would never have dodged the Kagome shaped bullet that flew from the bathroom if he hadn't had demonic speed. He snorted in amusement and went downstairs to wait for the girl.

_With Kagome_

"Where is it?!" She screeched to herself. She needed to find that outfit, it was the nicest and most expensive thing she owned. The last time Sesshomaru said 'dress casually' they had ended up on a secluded part of Tokyo beach with movie stars and models galore while she was dressed like a bum. That would NOT happen EVER again.

"Here it is!" She said happily. It wasn't an Armani suit that Sesshomaru would wear or even a special occasion outfit, but it looked better than the rest of her clothes that had been bought for the sole purpose of traipsing around the feudal era.

She put on the RocaWear jeans that had the RW in studs that looked like diamonds on the back pockets. The legs were split open from bottom to mid-calf, showing off her well toned muscles from fighting off man-eating demons on a daily basis.

Her shirt was a dark blue halter top that gradually faded into light blue at the bottom. It fit snug enough to show off her curves but not enough to cut off her circulation like most of the outfits that women wore these days. It was a little short since she had grown a couple inches over the last three years since she had bought the suit. It gave the world a chance to see a little bit of the taught stomach she had. Her arms and some of her back were also visible. The outfit was the most expensive and revealing outfit she had _ever_ owned, but today she felt like looking less out of place walking next to the perfectionist A.k.A Sesshomaru.

Once she had her hair pulled up into a messy bun (she wasn't going to go too far out of her way) with a few tendrils framing her pretty face and put on a pair of Nike Airforces, she was set to go…after she had some breakfast.

_With __Sesshomaru_

He was planning on just taking the girl out to eat again because her food was now chilling, when she walked into the kitchen. He froze.

'She looks…she looks…' His mind came up blank searching for the appropriate word.

**Stunning, beautiful, amazing…you pick one** his beast supplied.

'Hai, that one.' He wasn't sure which one he meant but they all worked so he wasn't going to worry about it.

Her outfit complimented all her features from her body of a goddess, to the stunning shade or blue eyes.

"You look…acceptable." She gave him a dirty look, but she hadn't been expecting much anyway so she settled with a "Whatever."

He placed a plate in front of her and it was devoured in minutes. With her growling belly feeling full and quiet she was ready to go.

"So where are we going today?" She cheerily asked.

Sesshomaru sighed, she had some serious mood swings but stood anyway.

"You will find out when we get there. Come." He walked to the door with Kagome close at his heels. He opened the door for her and waited for her to step out, closing and locking the door behind himself.

She followed him down the shrine steps and to a snazzy looking sliver porche.

"This is your car here?"

"Hai."

"It is…acceptable." She imitated his voice from earlier and hopped into the passenger side of the car.

Sesshomaru cracked a tiny smile at the girl and her antics. He started the engine and drove off into the busy streets of Tokyo.

_30 Minutes Later_

"_You _brought me **_here_**?" She was incredulous. She knew Sesshomaru didn't like the smell of other humans and he had just stopped at the busiest and largest mall in Tokyo. There were so many people here it sometimes made _her _uncomfortable.

"It will have to suffice for today's activities." He replied, just because this was the best choice of places to go does not mean he had to like it. All he had to really do though is focus on the miko's lavender and vanilla scent and drown out all of the other headache causing scents.

"Sooo, exactly what are we here for again?" She asked sweetly trying to cajole it out of him.

"We are here to get you some new attire and other necessities." Whatever she had been expecting it wasn't that.

"So basically we are going _shopping_?" She was starting to get excited but until she got a straightforward answer she wasn't going to get her hopes up.

"Hai, we are going _shopping_." He almost shuddered at the word. He knew that when women shop they can become creatures of the unknown. Wanting to try on things they know they would never wear, just for _fun_. Having no consideration for anyone they came with, dragging them through any and every store. And if she was the same as the handful of woman he had ever gone shopping with, spending the buyer's money with no remorse or regret. He was sure Kagome wasn't like that but from his personal experience (**A/N: And mine ****LOLSz)** shopping could change even the purest of females.

"Why are you taking me shopping, you know I don't have enough money for that?" She interrogated him. He almost smiled. Of course the miko would be worried about money, even though she was shopping with the _wealthiest man_ in Japan.

"You will be needing items for your stay at my domain." He gave her an up-and-down appraising look, "While I approve of your clothing choice now I do not agree with the other clothes that you keep in your closet." He nodded to further show his disagree with her peasant clothes. She was the Tashio Sesshomaru's miko and she was going to dress the part of it too, at least to some extent. He was going to take her to the stores he usually frequented but the girl would mostly likely fight to the death over the prices there, if she thought the bathing suit was a wallet emptier then she had never been Dolce and Gabbana store. Anything she picked was going to be approved by him and only then would he buy it.

She was going to give him a piece of her mind about how not everyone was rich and famous but then she remembered the other part of his sentence.

"What do you mean staying at your domain?" She asked her temper rising. She was not some charity case that needed to be watched at all times!

"You will be residing at my house, place of residence, adobe, whatever you wish to call it." She opened her mouth to protest but he smoothly intercepted her.

"While I would love to have this escalating argument here and now, I do not think it would be wise to draw the whole population to us. We are already getting looks, it is not every day that I am seen at the _mall_ and never with a _female_. So for now we will shop and then when we have some privacy we will discuss her disagreements that are sure to come in the near future." She kept her mouth shut. He was right, she didn't want more attention than they already had.

"Fine, I want to go into that store." She said pointing to one of the stores she usually went to. They always had good bargain prices. **(A/N: I don't know the names of the stores and stuff they have in Japan, I'm from the USA so I will be using stores from here. If they don't have them there then just imagine the name to be something they do or go with the flow your choice.)**

"No, I do not approve of that store." He may not like shopping but he _would_ be in control of the situation.

_After Much Arguing and Shouting (From Kagome)…_

"You cannot expect me to go in _there _with _you_!" She would never have gone in here with her girl friends never mind a boy.

"Hai, you will. You will need some undergarments during your stay right?" He finished in a sarcastic tone.

"Then you will remain outside." She stated calmly but she was blushing so much she looked like a tomato.

"No, you act as if I have never seen these pieces of clothing before."

"I don't care!"

"Come." She planted her feet firmly on the ground.

"No. Stay out here!"

"I will hold your hand if I must." 'Like that's such a bad idea.' She thought. The warning was clear though this was a battle that Sesshomaru would win.

"No!" She hissed. He simply grabbed one of her hands with his and placed his other on the small of her back giving her a little push. With a little encouraging and a lot of dragging Sesshomaru and Kagome where right in the middle of Victoria's Secret with all the women giving them envious and lustful looks.

Kagome spun around and buried her face in his chest too embarrassed to be seen. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"What's your size?" Too embarrassed to put up a fight, she mumbled something back, muffled by his shirt. He heard her though and set her down on a chair sitting next to the dressing rooms and in plain sight of him, in case he was needed.

"Remain here I will call for you if I need your assistance." She nodded.

He called over a salesperson. She was all too eager to help this gorgeous man.

"What can I help you with today sir?" She asked in her over cheery voice.

"I need sets for that young woman sitting there." He pointed to Kagome. She was tense he noticed. He would make this quick.

The salesperson lost some of her cheeriness when she saw he was already with a woman but she had a job to do; besides she had to be better looking than that comely girl.

"What size is she?" She asked with a little malice tinting her voice which didn't go unnoticed by Sesshomaru. He retold her, what Kagome had told him **(A/N: I'm not a pervert so I'm not going to go into her sizes…)**.

"I think these are the choices that would fit best on her…"

_15 Pairs of Underclothes Later_

He paid for the clothes and went to retrieve his miko when he returned to the seat, she wasn't there.

'Where is she?' He let out a low growl that humans would be unable to hear. He traced her scent to a window that was across from Victoria's Secret. She was looking at a ring. He stalked over to her bags in one hand.

"Did I not tell you to stay where I left you?" He asked a bit angry. If she would have gotten lost it would not have been easy to find her with all the other humans in here, although he would never admit that.

"I just wanted to see if it was still here." She muttered still staring at the ring. It was nothing special at least not to him. It was a simple platinum band that had a ring of diamonds at the top. Sitting inside the ring of diamonds was a blue crescent moon most likely made out of sapphire.

"You wanna know something. I have been saving for that ring since I first started going to feudal era. It was going to get it for my 16th birthday, but because I had an obligation there I never found work and could never buy it. I have already asked the shop keeper to try to steer anyone away from it. But I see people looking at it now. It won't be there for much longer." She said sadly

**It would go great with her pendent. **His beast said.

'Hn.'

"Follow me." He didn't even give her a chance to respond.

He walked up to the clerk, interrupting the other customers talking to him. The sales clerk was going to tell him off before he saw who he was.

"I wish to buy that ring."

"But this fine couple has already set eyes on it. Maybe there is another piece you would like." The clerk tried to tell him.

"No, this is the piece I want. If you will not sell it to me I will have one custom made."

The man of the couple spoke up.

"Sir this is a special ring that is meant to be given to someone you care about completely, certainly there is no one that is worth this ring, to you." The man knew who Sesshomaru and had heard the stories about how he was cold-hearted and ruthless.

Sesshomaru gave a look to Kagome who was chatting with one of the woman at another desk…about puppies…from what he could tell. The man saw this and decided that if this man could pass the test he would let him have the ring that he had been saving for, for three years.

The man turned to the clerk.

"I will give you $500."

"$1000." Sesshomaru said.

"$1550." The man said again.

"$2000." Sesshomaru spoke up, surprised that this _nobody_ would even attempt to outbid him.

"$2400." The man was reaching his limit.

"$5000." Sesshomaru said proudly. This ring couldn't be worth more than $600 maybe $700 but for Kagome he would gladly pay any price, money was not an item to him. The man sighed, he could not top that.

"Let's go elsewhere baby, I'm sure we can find something else." The man said defeated.

"Sure thing honey." With that they left the store.

Sesshomaru took out his credit card, and gave it to the clerk.

"I will be making the purchase now."

"Hai. Of course sir." The clerk made a move to wrap it but Sesshomaru told him to just hand him the ring and receipt. The clerk gave him an old look but complied.

"Kagome." He called. She walked over to him.

"Come. We will go get lunch now."

"Ok." She waved goodbye to the nice lady that kept her company but mouthed the words "Dogs are so much better than cats," before she turned the corner to the food court.

"So what are we going to get? How about WacDonalds!" She suggested. He pulled a $20 out of his back pocket.

"Get what you want and meet me at this table." He sat down on one of the taller chairs.

"Ok. Be right back!" She scurried off to get to the line, before the group of teenagers walking to there, did.

Sesshomaru fingered the ring in his pocket debating on how go about giving it to her. He wanted it to be special. He wanted to ask her to be "Girlfriend" in this time, because he knew she still had things to do in the past. He was going to make sure she ended up staying in this time though because he did not want her to experience the Demon Vs. Humans War firsthand. But that was for a later discussion.

'Oh well, I'll know when the time comes.' He thought to himself. He was always known for being prepared and have every strategy ready, but he was also one hell of an improviser.

He didn't notice when Kagome sat down in the seat next to him instead of the one across from him, until her arm brushed against his when she took a sip of her soda. It snapped him out of his musings.

"I knew I was irresistible, but you are invading my personal space." He teased her with a smirk.

"Yeah, well you'll just have to deal with it." True it was nice sitting next to him, but the only reason she did was because there was this really creepy Goth boy that had followed her to the table, and sat down in a seat that would have been to close for her comfort if she were to sit on the other side of the table. But she would never let him know that.

They sat at the table in comfortable silence. Sesshomaru was afraid that if he tried to start a conversation Kagome might choke on the way she was inhaling that fast food. When she was finally finished he decided to ask.

"Was it good?" He asked. She knew he was teasing her.

"You don't know how much I've missed this food. Sure the feudal era food is good, and the food you bought me yesterday was yummy too. But I grew up on this food and I have gone for years without it." It's was like Inuyasha and his precious Ramen. She turned around and smiled at him. There was a little bit of the chocolate cake she had bought on her bottom lips. Sesshomaru had the urge to remove it with his own.

'I have gone too long denying my urges this one will happen.' His beast yipped happily finally able to get a taste of the miko. He leaned in closing in towards the miko.

'What's he doing?! Oh no I've seen this in movies before he's gonna kiss me!! What do I do?! What do I do?!' The miko was panicking, so Sesshomaru started rubbing soothing circles on her back.

The whole world stopped when Sesshomaru's lips touched hers. She made a move to pull back, but the hand on her back stopped her. Sesshomaru's tongue traced her bottom lip to remove the chocolate cake and she gasped, he took this as an advantage to taste her. He nearly lost control of himself when she let out a small moan. He pulled back before things got too far. She hadn't responded much but he knew that was because she was inexperienced, that was confirmed when she opened her mouth.

"My first kiss…wow…" She was still dazed and Sesshomaru's ego soared through the roof at seeing that just one simple kiss could put his miko into a state like that. While she was still staring at everything, and nothing he slipped the ring on her ring finger. The cool metal snapped her out of her daze.

She looked down at the ring and gasped.

"The ring, y-you bought it!" She had tears of happiness in her eyes.

"Hai, but you may only keep it, if you will become this Sesshomaru's girlfriend." He stared her straight in the eye.

"R-really?!"

"This Sesshomaru does not lie."

"Hai!!" She cried out. She couldn't see straight with the tears blurring her vision but she through her arms out in the general direction of Sesshomaru and unsurprisingly he caught her.

"When you finish what you must in the past you will return here, to me. I will give you something to give to my past self. We will have this discussion later." He whispered into her ear, making her give a shiver of pleasure. They sat there just holding each other for better part of a half hour, then Sesshomaru exclaimed it was time that finished what they came here to do.

So they left the food court hand-in-hand, to the next store, of Sesshomaru's choice of course. All the while Kagome thinking about how much her life has changed.

'And for the better I would say.' She giggled at her thoughts, her lips still tingling from the kiss.

Three hours later found them sitting in Sesshomaru's Porche on the way to his house.

"You know it was unnecessary to get me all this stuff." She said her arms crossed over her breasts in a universal sign of woman's annoyance.

"This Sesshomaru has only the best. It would not do for his new _girlfriend_ to be seen in anything less." He stressed the word knowing it would make her blush…which it did…

"Yeah, well I happened to like my old clothes." She huffed.

"Nobody said we would discard them, you can always wear them in the house but when you are with me, you will have nothing but the best." He took her hand in his and gave it a small squeeze.

'I like this Sesshomaru better than the past version. This one is not afraid to show his feelings to the public. He also knows how to treat a lady and still has that incredible ego and pride that I found attractive in the past.'

They pulled up at a large metal gate. Sesshomaru punched in a keycode on the pad next to the gate from his window. The gate swung open revealing a…a…castle!

"This is your house!" She hissed. He had told her it was nothing special, just that it was a little larger than the normal size for a house, and she had _believed_ him.

The garden was not as large or nice as the one in the past but that was to be expected for being in an era where there was so much pollution not many plants survive. But the house itself was at least _5 stories high_!! It was pure white and had a mile long drive way. There were many windows. There was also a walk way that led to the back of the house.

"Where does that road lead to?" Kagome asked.

"The backyard that houses the pool, tennis court, basketball courts, and game house." He said without even batting an eye.

"This is what you call a _little larger than a normal house_! I think this might just beat your past castle!" She cried.

"It is of no consequence. This is where I live and will now be your home for the time being, so I suggest you stop complaining and pay attention to where you are going." She huffed but looked straight ahead instead of glaring at him. They had just turned down another hallway when they passed a You-Are-Here sign.

_Wait! _**What!**

She backtracked to the sign. She let out a laugh. He had taken her advice to heart. She had gotten so lost once in the feudal era castle that she had yelled at him to get some You-Are-Here signs. At the time he hadn't known what she meant, but obviously he had found out.

"Hurry girl or I will leave you to find your own way to around the house." He called back. She rushed up to him.

"Ok geez, you don't gotta be so snappy about it!" But she smiled anyway.

Finally after many twists and turns they stopped at a set of double doors.

"This will be your room, mine is right next to yours, just as it was in the past." She turned around to thank him but he was gone, the bags he had been carrying left forgotten on the floor.

"I wonder what that was about…" She opened the door, and started to put her stuff away. The room looked much like it did in the past. Except now the bed was higher, and there were more accessories in the room. Like the laptop and bean bag chair.

'I wonder what possessed him to buy _that_." She changed into a pair of boxers and a tank top she had bought, and laid down on the bed. Today had been an emotionally and physically draining day and she could go for a nap, she would finish when she woke up.

_With __Sesshomaru_

'I need a cold shower.' He was walking to his study to immerse himself in paperwork.

He had finally figured out his feelings toward her. Having her on _his _property, under _his _roof, stay right next to _his_ room, had begun to take effect on him. He had definitely wanted to spend more time with her. But he was sure if he had spent any more time in her presence after how she tasted his beast was going to gain control, and ravage her. It was so sweet, so innocent, so _good_!

Right now he needed space to calm down. He could hear Kagome's even breathing signaling that she was sleeping.

'I will wake her for dinner.' He thought.

**No wake her NOW! **His beast argued.

'If we act too fast, we will scare her off. Would you rather wait, or rush and never have her again?' He shot back

**Fine.**** But I wish to spend more time with her today!**

'I will watch a movie with her later, if you promise to back off and let me handle her feelings.'

**Agreed, but if you take too long I will not stay quiet.** His beast faded away.

'A scary movie.' He added as an afterthought with a smirk on his face.

---------------------------------------------

**A/N: Well I decided that she will end up in the future with****Sesshomaru**** thanks to the reviewers. But she still is going to spend some time with the past ****Sesshomaru****. And now I need you guys help. I still have 28 more days before she has to go to the feudal era again and no ideas for what ****Sesshomaru**** and ****her**** should do. Tell me what scenes you would like to read and stuff and I'll try to put them in my story, if I can't come up with a lot the chapters will get shorter, or else I'll just be rambling! So HELP!! Anyways next time a movie and quality time with ****Sesshomaru**** and maybe an unexpected encounter. I haven't decided yet. ****Until next time…**

**AristocraticAssassinSesshomaru**

**Peace 1**


	17. Chapter 16: A Boy Scorned and

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to The Spiked Dragon an anon. reviewer for her contribution of ideas to the story. Thanks!! By the way we won the championship!! WHOOPIE!!! Anyways onto the story…**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 16

A Boy Scorned and a Very …Unhappy… Demon Lord

------------------------------------------------

Kagome was having a nice dream of sitting on the beach, watching the sunset with Sesshomaru, when she had this odd feeling. Like fingers running down her spine. That usually meant someone was staring at her but she could find no one. She was so preoccupied in her dream that dream Sesshomaru said he would find entertainment elsewhere and left. This hurt Kagome so much she woke up.

When she opened her eyes and saw to eyes of molten gold, she did what any girl in her position would have done. She screamed.

Sesshomaru saw her open her mouth and quickly clamped one of his large claws over the opening, effectively muffling her ear piercing shriek to a manageable level.

"Are you finished?" He asked when she had stopped.

"Mhmnmhnmhmm!!" She yelled back. His hand still covering her mouth.

"What was that? I'm afraid I didn't catch it." He smirked.

"MHMNHNMNMN!!!!" She cried trying to pry his fingers off, but every time she got one off and went for the next, the first one would just return to its previous spot. She got an evil idea.

She licked his hand.

He was so stunned that it gave her enough time to maneuver from his hand and to the other side of the bed.

'He doesn't taste so bad, in fact he tastes kinda good.' She giggled at her perverted thoughts.

'I spent WAY too much time around Miroku.'

Sesshomaru looked at Kagome, then at to his hand, then back to Kagome. But when he looked the second time something flashed behind his eyes. Kagome caught the gleam and took off for the door, knowing nothing good could come from that light in his eyes.

'Damn, I'm in for it this time.' She was just a step away from the door when she was lifted off her feet and thrown onto the bed with an 'oof.'

"What's the big ide 'mnph'" She was cut off by a pair of delicious lips that came crashing down onto hers. Her eyes got all hazy and unfocused, just as she was about to return the kiss, Sesshomaru stood up and walked to the door he stopped right before he stepped out.

"Next time your punishment will be much worse. Do not attempt to pull a stunt like that again. Get dressed and meet me in the dining hall for dinner." After that he was gone. Kagome threw a pillow at the door, and screamed into the one in her hands.

'How dare he do something like that?! He can't just kiss me and then walk away like it was nothing!! I will get him back!!!' She grumbled about stupid dogs and their overinflated egos, while picking her clothes and all the way to the bathroom, during her shower, and drying off until she had finally run out of insults and was forced to calm down.

_With Sesshomaru_

He was not as unaffected as the miko thought he was. He was now heading to his private bathroom to take a nice long and _cold _shower. She was just so tasty!

'And all mine.' He thought smugly.

Sure anyone could marry a supermodel, actress, or a woman that had too much strength for her own good. But Kagome had the body of a supermodel, was strong and was a great actress. Like that time when he had come across Inuyasha's pack battling a ferocious snake demon.

_Flashback_

_"Why won't it stay down!?!" Inuyasha cried. They had been fighting this snake demon for over two hours now. It had been hit by Hiraikotsu many time, pelted by many of Miroku's sacred sutras and stabbed by Inuyasha. It was too quick to be sucked up by the wind tunnel though._

_"It's the jewel shards Inuyasha!! There's four of them in its forehead!!" The battle continued until the only ones standing were Kagome and Inuyasha. Sango and Miroku had been swatted back by its tail and hit the trees behind them, knocking them unconscious._

_Inuyasha charged in recklessly aiming to behead the demon. He didn't see its tail until it was too late. It smashed him backwards and onto the ground so hard Kagome was sure his spine __was broken in many different places__ half-demon or no. When the dust cleared __Kagome was seen lying on the ground with her bow snapped in half and an arrow in her hand._

_'Sorry bow but your sacrifice was for the greater good it will not be in vain.' Kagome had snapped her own bow t__o follow through with her plan._

_"Jewel ssshardsss." The snake hissed. He stopped when he looked at Kagome. This was where Sesshomaru had showed up. He watched as the snake demon slithered over to the girl and bent down to rip the shards from her neck probably taking her head in the process. But as soon as the demon was in arms length of her she shot up and stabbed the demon with the arrow in her hand right between the eyes. Once she was sure it was embedded she charged it with her powers turning the demon into dust._

_"HAH!!" She yelled victorious._

_"Take that you stupid slimy snake demon, you know I never liked snakes!" Sesshomaru was so surprised that his eyes widened just a little bit, not enough for someone to see that wasn't looking for it though. She had slowed her heartbeat to almost nothing, and was holding her breath to make it appear as if she was dead or dying._

_End Flashback_

'It was a risky but clever idea.' His miko was strong and smart. He let a smile crack at the memory but quickly his it behind his mask again. Only his miko would have the pleasure of seeing his smiles, however small they may be.

Once he was finished he made his way down to the dining room to wait for the miko. He didn't have to wait long. About two minutes after he was seated Kagome came bursting through the doors her aura a fiery red, showing her anger. Even with that said she looked as intimidating as a newborn kitten. Sure it could scratch but not very hard.

She was dressed in a pair of baby pink flannels that said 'Cutie With a Booty' on the butt. Her shirt was a simple white tank top with a kitty face on the front of it. Her hair was still damp from her shower. She didn't look like she could cause much damage.

'But I know that's a lie.' He thought.

She made a move to sit at the far end of the table but he would not stand for it. He had a special seat reserved for her today.

"No, miko you sit over here." She mumbled something even he couldn't make out, but marched over to him anyway. As soon as she was close enough he pulled her into his lap. She started to struggle.

"Stop miko, do you find this Sesshomaru so uncomfortable that you would struggle out of his lap." He whispered in her ear. She stopped but blushed so hard she was sure it was unhealthy for all that blood to be rushing to her face. She mumbled something incoherent that was ignored by Sesshomaru.

Servants started pouring in and leaving gourmet dishes on the table. Kagome looked on with a little bit of drool coming out the side of her mouth.

"I do believe you are drooling." Sesshomaru said with more amusement than disgust. She absentmindedly wiped the side of her mouth with her arms.

"Are you hungry?" He asked just to tease her. He already knew the answer.

"No, the site of all this delicious food is so boring to look at that I fell asleep with my eyes open that was why I was drooling…OF COURSE I'M HUNGRY!! Besides this has got to be the best meal I've ever laid eyes on." She whispered the last part. She scanned the contents not recognizing a lot of the dishes because they were from the higher class but she did see one thing…

"ODEN!!" She screeched, causing Sesshomaru to wince from the sound. He motioned for a servant to hand him the bowl. As soon as the dish was in front of her she reached for the chopsticks that were pulled out of her reach by you know who. She gave him a questioning look. He ignored it and instead grabbed some oden and told her…

"Open."

"Wha…" She didn't get to finish because a mouthful of oden was placed in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed but did savor the taste. It was the best oden she had ever had.

"I am more than capable of fee…" Again another mouthful.

"Yournotgoingtoletmefeedmyselfareyou?" She rushed out and closed her mouth before he could shove some more in her mouth.

"No." Was his answer. She knew she should have expected to be waited on or at least have a servant considering it was Sesshomaru they were talking about, but this was just ridiculous.

'Well he's got his mind set, and he's as stubborn as an ox. Besides it's not like I should be complaining. I'm sitting in the most handsome and wealthiest man…_demon's…_lap not to mention dangerous being hand fed by said demon. Not the most unwanted situation.' She opened her mouth waiting for the food…

_After Dinner_

Kagome was snuggled up on the _couch_ which was about 6ft long and could probably double as a twin size bed while Sesshomaru put on the _Exorcist_. She wasn't a big fan of horror movies but had seen this movie already with her one of her friends on a dare. Sesshomaru pressed play and sat down beside her, putting an arm around her waist, leaning her head on his shoulder…

_About an Hour into the Movie._

'Seeing it a second time does not make it any less scary.' She thought her eyes wide and heart thrumming madly in her chest she had long ago abandoned her seat beside Sesshomaru and instead had jumped into his lap when she had seen the girl turn her head around 360 degrees. She had missed most of the movie seeing how that part was close to the beginning. Her eyes closed every time a remotely freaky part came on. She was instead half-listening to the T.V. and more to the calming 'thump thump' of Sesshomaru's heartbeat. A blanket that Sesshomaru had spread around them pulled up to her nose in case it was necessary to pull it over her head. A loud scream from the screen had her scream in response. She looked up to see Sesshomaru's expression. She just huffed when she found a twinkle in his eye and a small smile on his face.

'Leave it to him to find happiness in a horror film.' She jumped and screamed when she saw the horridly disfigured girl's face.

Sesshomaru wasn't really getting his kicks out of the movie. Sure it was o.k. in its entertainment but he had seen better and he wasn't the type to get easily scared. No his amusement was coming from the miko sitting in his lap.

'She stands up to flesh-eating demons daily, travels all over Japan on mostly foot, puts up with heartbreak and drama, and faces down death on a regular basis, and yet she is more afraid of this silly movie which is obviously fake but stands up to someone such as myself without batting an eye. She needs to set her fear priorities straight.' Another scream interrupted his thoughts.

'But I wouldn't have her any other way.' His smile got a little bigger.

Another small scream erupted from her throat and she had, had enough. She jumped up and stretched to reach the power button on the T.V. that just had to be 6ft above the floor.

'Stupid plasma screen television!' Finally she sank to the floor with her mission accomplished. That horrible movie was too much. She was probably going to have nightmares now and it was all Sesshomaru's fault! She gave him a glare that would have done his past self proud. He returned her gesture with a chuckle.

"Scared are we little Kagome?" He asked in a mocking voice. She stuck her tongue out at his and he had the urge to bite it.

"So what do you want to do now, that I find you do not have enough courage to watch a simple movie?" He smirked when she let a small growl escape from her lips. She thought for a moment then said…

"Do you have a deck of cards?"

"Hai, follow me." He led them to the kitchen, and pulled them out from one of the cupboard drawers. She motioned for him to sit down at the table, and did the same.

"The name of the game is Poker (A/N: Nobody came beat me at this game LOLSz) I'm sure you know how to play."

"Hai, of course."

"Good then I will be dealer." She shuffled the cards and gave him five, doing the same for her.

'This will be easy he thought.' Kagome was so expressive he would be able to read her plain as day. But was surprised.

Kagome schooled her face into complete blankness. She didn't even blink. Kagome was an expert at this game. During her high school years Kagome was running short on money from all of Inuyasha's damn Ramen, so her and her friends were playing poker one day for fun when Eri decided they should play like the professionals. Kagome had thrown in the only five dollars she had and left with almost fifty. All her friends where whining that she had previous experience. To Kagome poker was a calming game, so her face naturally relaxed, with a little extra effort it would rival Sesshomaru's mask. Her eyes were dull mouth open just a tad to breathe a little deeper than usual and looking as bored as ever.

"You can't win." Sesshomaru taunted hoping to get some kind of reaction. He had never seen his miko like this willingly. She looked almost like she did when she had her spirit broken, it pained him to see her so.

"Whatever." She replied flippantly. Sesshomaru made his face look equally blank and then the game begun.

_7 Games Later_

"Straight flush." Sesshomaru stated putting down his hand. Kagome looked down at his cards then at his face. She laid her cards down.

"Royal flush." She said calmly. Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

That was the _8th game in a row_. He had played this game with celebrities for charity matches and the only time he lost was when he folded when it became too boring. They always gave away their hand by some little expression, whether it be the small tick of a finger or an inaudible sigh to the human ear, with his demon senses he could easily pick up both. Sometimes their heart gave them away beating harder when they were excited or slower when they were sure they were going to lose.

His miko had beat him 8 times. _In a row_

She was coming with him to those matches from now on.

He was sick of losing.

"Time for bed." He announced suddenly, causing Kagome to smirk much like Sesshomaru.

"Someone's just crabby 'cuz they lost to a girl." She laughed. She 'eeped' when he gave her a look like a predator stalking his prey. He took measured steps towards her backing her into a wall. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"That's not fair!! Put me down!! You can't treat your superiors this way!!!"

"Time for bed." Was all he said. She 'harrumphed' but stopped struggling.

Sesshomaru was a tough opponent, but she knew what to look for so she had the advantage. She saw the minute tick right above the left side of his mouth when he was agitated or the dull light enter his eyes when he thought he won. They were so small that no one but probably his father, mother and she could probably notice them. One would have to spend considerable time looking for certain things. But he had never seen her so blank so he didn't know what to look for, therefore she had the advantage.

"Are we almost there?" She couldn't tell how far or deep they were into his mansion because most of the floors were marble and all looked the same. There was that and all the blood was still rushing to her head making her a little dizzy and confused. Finally the floor stopped moving or they had stopped she couldn't really tell because she felt like she was moving but she was still looking at the same spot.

She heard a door open and then shut, then she was set on her feet. It took her a moment to regain her lost equilibrium, but once she did she looked around in awe. She had never seen Sesshomaru's room in the feudal era but if it looked anything like this she might have to sneak a peek.

The floor was a black marble much different than the white that decorated the whole rest of the house. There was a bed that was raised so far off the ground she might have to jump to get on it.

'Probably cause he's so tall.' She mused.

There were navy blue curtains hung on the windows that reached from floor to ceiling, that was at least an impressive 20 feet. There were few but very tasteful decorations around the room. A vase here, a small statue there, there was a laptop sitting on the desk on the other side of the room too. But the most impressive thing was the _size_ of the room. It was easily the size of her whole downstairs. She wouldn't have the problem of walking into walls in a sleep-fogged mind in here. She would walk for 10 minutes before she hit a wall. Ok she was exaggerating but still!!

"Wait here, I will be right out." He walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of what looked to be silk sleeping pants and disappeared behind a locked door. As soon as she was sure that Sesshomaru wouldn't come back out she stalked over to the laptop and sat down in the chair.

'Time to do a little snooping. I wonder if the great lord has any juicy secrets he doesn't want the world to know.' She thought evilly.

10 minutes of snooping left her with all the stock market information she would ever need and a couple newspaper ads of upcoming events. Finally she clicked on some link called "Stock Market Crash of 1956" she didn't remember studying about it so she clicked on it and what she saw was shocking.

It was a whole timeline of her life.

There were the days of her kindergarten field trips to her high school graduation. There were doctor reports and grades (she wasn't too happy about some of them.). All the information about the shrine, and the days when she would return to or from the feudal era, there was even the date of the death of her father.

It was…it was…

Weird…no…

Creepy…no…

Freaky…no…

**_Disturbing_**…yeah that seemed like the right word.

'Why would he have all this?' When she heard a shower turn off (she had figured out that he had gone to take a bath earlier) she closed all the windows and bolted over to the bed. She jumped up onto it and crossed her legs fixing her face into one of annoyance to look as if she had been waiting there the whole time. She was going to ask a lot of question and he was going to answer every one of them! That was her resolve until he walked out the door. There he was clad only in a pair of black silk pants and white socks with a towel in his hand. Kagome's jaw dropped.

He looked good enough to eat.

His hair was still damp clinging to his head and back while his bangs were plastered to his forehead. The dark color of the pants brought out the pale color of his skin. He was also standing in front of the open window with the moonlight shining off of him.

Nevermind eating, he looked like a god!

She blushed ten shades of red and then bolted to the door pulling it open with strength she didn't know she had and ran into her room, diving under the bed. She closed her eyes to try to steady her now irregular heartbeat. Any questions she had would wait until tomorrow she thought. Now that she was snuggled in her warm bed she felt tired. She closed her eyes and the last thing she saw was that beautiful picture of Sesshomaru before she fell asleep.

_With Sesshomaru_

He'd known the miko would probably be flustered by his appearance which was why he walked out like that in the first place, but she flew from the room like a frightened little kitten.

'And she is a frightened little kitten, my little kitten.'

He was about to go and see her but he could hear her even breathing. He sighed he would not bother her while she slept.

He pondered on what they would do tomorrow as he lay in bed.

'We will journey to the park.' He closed his eyes. He needed a good night's rest if he was going to bring the miko anywhere. He needed the rest because he was always swarmed by people and women vying for his attention.

'Oh well. I wish for everyone to know that this Sesshomaru is no longer available. We will start small at the park where the word will spread from there.' He too closed his eyes dreaming of how beautiful his and Kagome's children will be. A content smile graced his lips as he slept.

.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.Morning.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.

Sesshomaru was up and dressed at dawn as usual but he decided he would let the miko sleep in. If she wasn't up by eleven he would wake her.

_10 o'clock_

Kagome sat up and stretched. She felt fantastic. That was the best sleep she had gotten in years. No wild demons to worry about, no irate hanyou to please, not being woken up at dawn.

Yes this was the best sleep she had ever had; maybe the bed had something to do with it.

She woke up, showered and dressed. She didn't know what they had planned but decided to dress casual (or at least at as much as she could seeing as how everything they bought counted as fancy in her books), because Sesshomaru hadn't woken her up so they couldn't be doing anything important if they planned on doing anything at all.

She dressed in a pair of black baggy sweat pants and a black tank top that had a diamond design on it, which wasn't too bad if you left out the fact that the diamond design was stitched on with _diamonds_. Her shoes were a pair of black Nike Airforce 1s. She pulled her wet hair into a high ponytail, and set off to find Sesshomaru.

_After Much Wandering And Finally Asking Directions From Many Servants…_

She was at the kitchen. She walked and and greeted Sesshomaru. He stood up and walked over to her. Sesshomaru was dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and a white wife beater showing off his well toned arms, and you could see the slight indents where his abs were. He looked like he was ready for a workout.

"Good morning little miko. Eat your beakfast and then meet me in the living room, we will be visiting the park today." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and left. She shook herself out of her stupor. She was still getting used to that.

She had a quick breakfast of cereal and orange juice and went to go meet Sesshomaru. She was eager to spend the day relaxing in the sun with Sesshomaru.

Once together they (or rather Sesshomaru) decided they would take the limo. He had no wish to look for a parking space once they got there. Seated comfortably inside Kagome couldn't wait.

'Nothing could ruin this day.' She thought. She had jinxed herself the moment she let something like that enter her brain.

_35 Minutes Later…_

Found them walking through a more secluded part of the park. There were not as many looks of jealousy or hatred here.

"Sesshomaru I'm having a really good time today. Thank you so much!" She said giving him a hug.

"Well now that this Sesshomaru has done something for you, you should return the favor." He leaned down and placed his lips on hers. Her response was much quicker this time, and Sesshomaru was pleased about that. Just as he was about to deepen the kiss someone called out…

"KAGOME!! Is that you?!" Sesshomaru eyes started to tint pink but Kagome licked his bottom lip surprising him so that his beast couldn't get free. As soon as she was sure he was stable she took a step back and prepared for the upcoming storm.

"Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, how nice to see you guys again." She said hiding her agitation and anger at being interrupted.

"Oh Kagome, we're so glad you're ok. Your grandpa told us you had another stroke and a heart attack at the same time! We were so worried!!" They all cried in unison. So wrapped about about Kagome's 'illness' they paid no attention to Sesshomaru which he wasn't too happy about. But he knew these were obviously Kagome's friends so he would let it pass. Besides he wanted to learn more about these strokes. He was unaware of this development.

Eri took a step back to make _sure_ Kagome was fine. She noticed a tall man that looked exactly like that rich male bachelor that everyone spoke so much about. Even more so, now that it was rumored he had a girlfriend.

She did a double take. That _was_ that rich male bachelor that everyone spoke so much about.

"Kagome." She started shakily.

"Hai." Kagome said.

"Who's your friend?" Eri said pointing to him when the other girls gave her a questioning glance.

"Oh him. He just Tashio Sesshomaru, my friend." The girls all squealed in unison. Sesshomaru pulled Kagome up beside him and whispered in her ear,

"Why did you address me as just _your friend_?" He asked venomously. Was the miko ashamed of him?

She guessed his turmoil correctly.

"If you think they're bad now, if they find out I'm your girlfriend, they will stalk me, which in turn means they will stalk you. We don't want that do we? I would never be ashamed to call you mine but this is for our protection. They are worse than any paparazzi you have ever met!" Sesshomaru nodded his understanding, now that his fears were squashed.

The girls crowded around them squealing things that could not by understood be either of the too being interrogated.

"We really need to get going guys! You see we have to…" She trailed off trying to think of an acceptable excuse.

"Go and pick up my tailored suit, so step aside." He finished coldly. The girls took a step back. The other rumors were true as well. But who knew Kagome had friends in such high places. And where was Sesshomaru's girlfriend? It couldn't be Kagome, could it?

'Finally, saved by the dog.' "Let's get out of here." She whispered to Sesshomaru. He nodded. As soon as they turned to leave,

"KAGOMEEE!!" A male voice called out, not making Sesshomaru very happy. Kagome did not want this to escalate even more.

"Sesshomaru, go and get me something to drink I'm thirsty." He opened his mouth to ask her if she was crazy, but she gave him a look that said he'd better go or else. Not that he was scared but he didn't want her unnecessarily mad at him.

"Fine." He growled out and turned to go to the nearest concession stand. The trio started to follow him.

"And don't kill my friends." She said knowing that he would hear her. He gave her a look but continued on his way.

"Hojo, I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been?" She asked trying to think of a way to get rid of him before Sesshomaru came back.

"Oh Kagome, I was just on my daily walk to keep in shape. Who knew I would come across you. My the kamis have decided to grace me with good fortune today." He gave her a smile.

"Hai, good fortune." She said, but she was silently cursing every god she knew and then ones she made up just for the hell of it.

"Well since you're here and no one's been answering your house phone I might as just ask you now." He started. She put her hands up in a desperate attempt to stop the next words that she knew would come out of his mouth. No such luck.

"Would you like to go out with me this Saturday?" He asked with stars in his eyes.

"Ummm…I don't think I can…you see…ummm…" She stuttered. Sesshomaru and the terrible trio (A/N: Heard this in another story can't remember the name but liked it.) returned.

"Of course she will!" Eri piped up.

"Yeah she'll be glad to go!" Yuka said.

Eri and Yuka logic was that if Kagome went with Hojo then maybe they would be able to get Kagome's rich friend. They had been trying the whole way to learn stuff about him but he kept silent and just ignored them. Ayumi hadn't been doing anything but following along. But the silent and mysterious ones were always the best boyfriends.

"Umm…guys I don't think that Kagome should go…" Ayumi said. She had always been the smartest of the group and could plainly see that Kagome was Sesshomaru's rumored girlfriend. How could you not? But her friends were obviously denser than she looked. She also knew that Kagome was not constantly sick, because she showed no after symptoms of all her 'illnesses.' But if Kagome wanted to keep it a secret than she would too.

"Why?!" The two of them cried together.

"Have you ever thought that Kagome might be seeing someone else?" Ayumi said seriously.

"She couldn't be, 'cuz she would have told us right away!!" They retorted

'I wouldn't have.' Ayumi thought.

'Go Ayumi, I'm spending all of my allowance on your Christmas gift this year!!' Kagome cheered in her mind. Ayumi was smart, maybe she could get her out of this mess. She was always good at manipulation.

"Maybe we should go guys, Hojo we were going to the mall later. You are invited to come." Ayumi said slowly inching her way away from, Kagome and her boyfriend.

"No not until we are sure Kagome's gonna go on that date!" Yuka said, planting her feet as if to prove she wasn't moving.

"Yeah!!" Eri said.

Ayumi sighed.

"Guys Kagome can't go!" She said sternly.

"Why?! If you're so smart then tell us why!!"

"Because…" She was cut off

"I am her boyfriend." Sesshomaru said coldly. Everyone had forgotten about him he was so silent.

Hojo spoke up,

"Kagome this can't be true surely you wouldn't want this stuck up jerk as your future husband rather than me. You're not his type. Come on Kagome."

"Yeah Kagome maybe Hojo is right. You and Sesshomaru are really different." Eri said.

"Guys." Ayumi said getting nervous, but angry at the same time. How could they say such things to Kagome and right in front of Sesshomaru too. They _had _to be the _stupidest_ friends she had ever had.

"Kagome you can't really be going out with him. He gonna dump you soon anyways." Yuka stated

"Guys!" Ayumi said more forcefully. That Sesshomaru guy was emitting a really weird sound, almost like a growl.

"Come on Kagome give me a chance, I can prove I'm so much better than him." Hojo said with confidence.

"GUYS!!" Ayumi yelled.

"No. Ayumi I can handle this. Thanks anyway though you're a true friend." She said calmly to her.

She turned to Yuka and Eri.

"How could you guys say such hurtful things to me and in front of my boyfriend? You guys should be more ashamed of yourselves than ever before. You have really crossed the line now. Do not speak or contact me in any way until you have gotten your acts together because I'm really sick of you guys, constantly setting me up on dates that I don't want to go on!!" She said. Her voice was loud as if she wanted to yell but was controlling herself or at least attempting to.

"And Hojo," She said sweetly.

"Hai, my darling Kagome, anything." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulders, thinking she really wanted to go with him.

'He's just as stupid.' Ayumi thought.

Kagome pushed his arm off her shoulder and looked at him with a glare, that was so cold, Sesshomaru had paused in his attempt to remove the boy from this world.

"I do not now or ever want to go out with you! I never really did, but felt as if I was obligated because you were such a nice boy. I was obviously wrong. A gentleman as you say you are would never talk such trash about another man. I would never date anyone I was unwilling to. He has been nothing but kind to me. I am proud and honored to be his girlfriend and wouldn't put you over him any day!! He means the world to me and you have right to speak about him in such a manner!! I may forgive for this Hojo somewhere in the future, but don't come anywhere near me until then!!! Goodbye Hojo, for good." She said angrily.

She turned to Ayumi next, she was nervous. She had never seen Kagome get so angry before and it was **_scary_**!!

"Thank you Ayumi. You have always been the one to be there for me. You were the only one to help me with my homework and other issues. You have been a true friend and if you _ever_ need my help with _anything_ find me. I will do my best." She smiled and Ayumi returned it.

"Let's go Sesshomaru I want to go home." Sesshomaru did not hesitate. He took her hand and led her away, calling the limo with his free hand. Ayumi waved after them, while the others stared on in shock. She was going to have a little chat with them as well.

_In The Limo_

Kagome started crying.

"What's wrong my little miko?" He reached to pull her close but she slapped his hands away.

"It's true! Everything they said was true!! I come from a different world. You go to celebrity events, I hardly ever go to parties. You are rich, I am just getting by. Even though they don't know it, you're a demon and I'm a miko. We're different in every way. I have no right to be your girlfriend!!" She wailed. She took off the ring and threw it in his lap. She went to open the door. Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

"Kagome! You cannot jump into oncoming traffic!" He grabbed her and held her on his lap her hands pinned to her sides.

"I deserve that better than I deserve you!!" She cried even harder. Her eyes were losing their normal shine.

This could not be happening, after everything he did, all it took was a couple of words to break her spirit again. It was too soon to bring her in public. He had expected looks but not a confrontation. This was unacceptable.

**Fix this**. His beast roared.

'I'm trying.' He answered back. Kagome was still struggling to get out of his hold. He froze when she bit him.

"Shhhh. Stop Kagome. That's not true. Nothing they said was true." He placed the ring back on her finger.

"Kagome I want…no…need you by my side. I do not care for those made up women who care nothing about me only about my money. You are not like them! Stop!!" He said sternly when she kicked him in the shin.

"Lies!! All lies!!!" She screamed. The driver looked back and he told him in demon tongue to take him to his private cabin in the mountains.

"Kagome, please don't do this to me, to yourself. After all you have been through you deserve nothing but the best. I want to help you, but I can't if you don't help yourself! You can't let what they said get to you. If I didn't think you were worthy to be by my side, I would have left you long ago." He pleaded with her.

"Let me go!!" She struggled even harder. He couldn't take this much longer. If she didn't stop his beast was going to take over.

"Kagome stop this nonsense!!" His eyes started to tint red, Kagome just struggled even harder.

"See you lie your beast side is trying to take over to kill me!" She yelled. He had, had enough. His beast was in complete control. He bit her on the shoulder. She stilled. He had bit hard enough to break the skin. She could feel the blood running down her shoulder. She cried out at the pain.

Sesshomaru's beast gave a whimper of apology and started to lick the wound soothing and healing it at the same time.

"Sorry, so sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry…" She just kept repeating it. Once she had stopped struggling, Sesshomaru regained control with much effort.

"Do not be apologize little one. You have nothing to be sorry for. I have you now and will not let you go. Not now not ever." He whispered into her ear.

"Why me?" She whimpered.

"It has always been you. I know you were on my computer. The information you saw about you was not out of malice, but out of concern. I kept track of where you were at all times. I worried about your safety. I was there at your father's funeral. I care about you Kagome I always have. I have silently watched you until the day when I knew I had told you, you had a month to come back to the future. I was ready for you. Your room at the house was designed for you especially. Everything has been for you. Please Kagome don't do this. Don't keep lying to yourself, hurting yourself it's not true." Kagome had stopped struggling and relaxed somewhat into his embrace.

"I need you Kagome. You can't leave me. I will find you and bring you back." She went limp. He thought he had made some progress, but when he looked into her eyes, they were just as dull as when the Northen Lord had said such lies. This would not have normal left her this broken but the wounds from before were still fresh, so this had cut deeper than normal to her already abused soul.

**They will pay in blood** His beast thrashed in its cage to be released.

'You know that is not possible in this time and era, and if we leave Kagome now, her condition will only get worse.' Sesshomaru reasoned.

**They_ will _****pay **His beast was persistant.

'Hai they will and I will make sure, but not now she needs our help!' He snarled at his beast. That made him quiet.

"Kagome, my little miko, please don't let this break your spirit." Still no response.

"It gives me great pain to see you like this." He sighed. But his eyes widened when she turned in his lap to give him a hug. Her arms were limp wrapped around his waist, but it was a hug nonetheless.

"Sorry, I will try harder not to be a burden." She whispered so soft he almost missed it.

He tightened his arms around her waist.

"You will never be a burden, Kagome." It was getting dark outside.

"Sir, we have arrived." The driver informed over the intercom.

"Sleep, Kagome." She did not hesitate she closed her eyes. She would not do anything to hurt or disobey him. If he really cared for her as much as he did, then he would get nothing but her full cooperation. She would do her best to help him in any way.

Sesshomaru carried her into the house and laid her down in the bed. There was only one. It wasn't a small cabin, but it was not as large as anything else he had. He came here to escape from the world. He called for a suitcase filled with clothes for both her and him. After he was done, he laid down beside her and closed his eyes. His sleep was very troubled, but he slept still.

.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.Morning.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.

Sesshomaru awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs.

'How is that possible the only ones here are me and…' He reached over finding no body.

He sighed, but got up. The items he requested were on the living room floor, sorted by color and style, obviously the miko's doing. He grabbed a pair of black pants and a shirt and took the quickest shower of his long life.

"Good morning Kagome." He said as he sat down at the table. She was dressed in a plain white tank top and black jeans.

"Good morning milord." She whispered back. She placed a plate in front of him. He was sad she had reverted back to servant mode, but he would not push it for now.

She sat down across from him.

"No sit here." He got up and pulled a chair next to his. She obeyed.

"Where is your breakfast?" He asked.

"I don't need to eat right now milord." She answered.

"Eat this." He pushed his plate in front of her.

"But," She started.

"Do not disobey me." She complied instantly and started to pick at the food. It was a low blow, but her health came before her happiness. It would do her no good to starve to death, but be happy while she died.

Then his cell phone started to ring, making Kagome jump at the unexpected noise but she still continued to eat.

He was tempted to ignore the call but it was from his direct office line, few people had that number and when someone did call from there it was important. He walked into the living room.

"What is it?" He growled.

"Mr. Tashio Sir, the company Takahashi Inc. is once again attempting to overtake our company. He has heard of your vacation and is taking full advantage. We are doing everything we can but, he is has much more experience in this kind of situation than we do. We need you sir." The man said, glad that he would be safe on the other side of the phone.

"This cannot wait?"

"No sir."

"I will be in shortly." He hung up not waiting for a response. He walked back into the kitchen.

"Kagome." She looked up. He was pleased to see that she had indeed listened and ate most of the breakfast.

"I need to go to the office for some important business." She looked down, but nodded her head.

"And you will be coming with me." He said with no room for argument.

She was surprised. He wanted to bring her to his office. That's where all the big shots were. She wasn't dressed the part or anything.

He called the limo to come pick them up.

"But milord I am not…"

"I don't care. You are fine the way you are. Gather the belongings that you will need for the day and then sit on the couch to wait for me." He left before she could protest.

She sat on the couch to wait for him. She had nothing to bring with her so she would just wait.

When he came out of the room, he was dressed in a pristine business Armani suit. She felt even worse. Sesshomaru knew this would happen and handed her one of his more expensive shirts.

"Put it on over your shirt." He said. She listened. He smiled when he saw that it went all the way down almost to her knees.

"There now you fit in. This shirt is worth more than any of the people you meet." He sat on the couch with her and waited for the limo to arrive. When he heard the horn he grabbed her hand.

She tried to tug it out, but he just tightened his hold. She gave up after a while.

When they got in the car Sesshomaru pulled Kagome as close to his side as possible. He would have pulled her in his lap but he couldn't wrinkle his suit. If the idiot he was going to deal with today saw that he didn't look as he normally did he would jump to the wrong conclusions and wreak even more havoc. Sesshomaru was tense with anger that he would try something so underhanded as to take over his company while the owner was away. Kagome sensed his anger and wrapped her arms around his waist. Again they were limp, but the action was endearing all the same. Sesshomaru wrapped his arm around her waist in return and they sat like that until they reached Tashio Inc.'s main building.

Before they went in Sesshomaru whispered in Kagome's ear,

"You don't have to talk to anyone you don't want to. Stay with me at all times. I will let no harm come to you here. Many people will try to interrogate you because of your relation to me. You do _not _have to answer anyone, look away if you must. But most importantly do not let anything that anyone says to you here hurt you."

"Hai." She whispered.

"Promise me." He said sternly. She hesitated.

"Kagome, the people here have been known to be ruthless. They will purposely tell you lies; they may even tell you I'm gay. You must not let them affect you, promise me." He said softly. He didn't need her to break anymore, but they were going to be cold and hurtful especially the women. He could only shield her from so much.

"Hai. I promise to not let what they say get to me." She would try anyway. This man didn't want her to listen to what these people said then she would obey. She would not be rude. But what Lord Sesshomaru says is more important than what anyone else says.

"Good. Now remember, stay by my side. Do not stray."

"Hai, milord." They stepped out onto the sidewalk and made their way up the steps and into Tashio Inc.

'I will make this quick. Kagome needs to spend time away from everyone, to heal. If this Takahashi Inc. does not cooperate I will simply put them out of business. They are a new company anyway. I don't know what he thought he would accomplish by this anyway.' He took a quick glance at Kagome. Her face was blank, but when she felt his eyes on her, she gave him a _tiny _reassuring smile. You would hardly be able to see it, if you didn't have demon eyesight. But he did and he saw it and a new dose of hope entered his body. He would heal his miko, for good.

He entered the building with a new attitude determined, to get this over with quickly so he could focus more on little Kagome.

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**A/N: I felt as though Kagome bounced back from being depressed to soon. This was not my intention in the story though it may have seemed like it. Kagome was still troubled, but from here on out Kagome will get better. She will still have some ups and downs but I don't write stories that don't have happy endings so don't worry. I have an idea of what I think will happen next thank to a reviewer that I will name in the next chapter. Still I need more ideas. ****So anyone can contribute. Plz a****nd Thanx…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


	18. Chapter 17: You!

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to ****Alessandra ****for her contribution to the story. Thanks to people like this the story lives on!! ****Right onto the story…**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 17

You!!

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The moment they entered the building they were swarmed by every female in the immediate vicinity. Sesshomaru had been expecting this, and had put his arm around Kagome's waist to not only prove he was no longer a bachelor, but to keep the vicious she-creatures from removing her from his side. The only things he could make out were,

"Sesshomaru-sama…"

"My love…"

"I missed…"

"Thank Kami your back…"

But one stood above all the others,

"Sesshy-kun, your back!! I couldn't handle knowing you'd be away for so long. Now you've come to sweep me off my feet how romantic!" A blonde haired girl called out. She couldn't have been older than 23, but from the way she dressed, he knew she was not hired for her intelligent mind.

'She looks like a slut.' He thought disgusted. He tightened his hold around Kagome's waist. All the women looked towards the movement and for the first time notice Kagome.

"Who's this?!" The blonde hissed.

"My girlfriend." He answered simply. It was much easier than he thought it would be. Sesshomaru was not used to public displays of affection, but when he had said it a warmth entered his chest.

"How could you want this…" He briskly walked away, not letting her finish her sentence, for if she did he would not be responsible for his next actions.

"How come you didn't listen…" He placed a finger to her mouth. She was too damn kind for her own good. Listening to other people insult you, and doing nothing about it. He might have stayed to let her handle it, if she had been in her right mind. But for now she was fragile and he was going to take excellent care of her.

"Because I have no interest in listening to the lies that pathetic human was going to spew from her mouth." He continued on to the elevator. He was on the 94th floor. The 95th being the formal conference hall, he hardly ever used it. Those that had seen the room had been in meetings that had been crucial for the wellbeing of his company.

The doors 'dinged' open and he stepped inside. It was empty.

'Good, I wouldn't want to ride in an enclosed space with smelly humans for so long anyway.' They were at the 10th floor when Kagome started to tremble.

"What's wrong?" She had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply. She shook her head not trusting herself to answer. She had never told anyone this secret. Kagome Higurashi, the girl that has looked death in the eye many times, fought countless demons, and even traveled with them, had a very intense fear of heights. She had never told Inuyasha, but when he would leap far into the air, she would close her eyes and tighten her hold on Inuyasha's haori minutely. Usually her fears wouldn't start up in an elevator, but this elevator had _glass walls_. (A/N: There are elevators like this I've been in one. Not one of my finest moments.) Not the breakable kind of glass that would shatter if hit, she wasn't worried about that. But she could see out and how far up they were going. They were only on the 15th floor and already the people walking in the street looked like little insects scurrying around.

"What's wrong?" He demanded this time when her fear was all but permeating the air around them. She was shaking like a leaf now. He couldn't sense any threats. She hadn't been scared when they first entered, only when the elevator started. Then it dawned on him.

'She's afraid of heights.' He thought incredulous. He would have never guessed. He spun her around with his arm so her face was buried in his chest. He started to stroke her hair.

"Shhhh…it's ok. I won't let anything happen to you." She took a deep breath at his words and inhaled his unique scent. She calmed some. They stayed like that until the doors opened. Kagome didn't even wait for Sesshomaru this time. She darted out of the elevators and into a room on instinct. Sesshomaru followed after her. There was only one room on this floor and that was his office. But there was a door separating from the elevator to keep unwanted visitors out.

He walked over to the door and swiped his keycard. The little light on the panel turned green and you could hear the locks popping to allow entrance. Sesshomaru took her hand and led her into his office. It was not something that she thought his office would look like.

It had the usual desk and computer with file cabinets and everything but there were other items that she was sure Sesshomaru never used while working. The walls were an off white almost beige and the carpet was a darker beige. There was a white couch on the far left wall facing a plasma T.V. There was also a walk in mini-kitchen towards the right. Then there was that blue bean bag chair that looked like it had been thrown in as an afterthought. It matched nothing else in the room. There were vases and paintings also hung around the room. On the wall opposite the door was his dark mahogany desk with three very comfortable looking chairs facing it. There was a very expensive looking laptop situated on it. The room looked like a kid and an adult couldn't decided what type of room would suit him better so decided to throw in elegance and fun together. She gave Sesshomaru a timid questioning look. He sighed.

"When I first bought this building I had no interest in decorating so I hired someone to do it for me. If I had known they would do…this…" he gestured around the room, "I would have done it myself."

He walked over to his desk, and sat down turning on the laptop.

"You are welcome to use anything in this office. I have never touched anything other than what you see on this desk." She walked over and sat in the middle chair facing his desk. She folded her hands in her lap and looked out the window that was behind his desk. The whole wall was a window. Sesshomaru let her be thinking that she would most likely move to watch T.V. on her own when she was ready. He started to look through the hundreds of e-mails that had accumulated during his absence, most of them being rabid fan-girls asking for a date.

Every once and a while he would look up at Kagome and every time she would be staring out the window. Finally after an hour and a half he decided that she needed to find something to occupy her time. But first he had to ask her.

"What are you looking at?" She jumped she had not been expecting him to talk. She had been watching the birds that had made a nest on the flag pole flying around and straining to hear their happy chirping. The calming sound of his breathing and him typing away on his computer had put her into almost a trance.

"The birds, they're beautiful." She whispered. She still wouldn't talk at a normal volume as if afraid she might actually be heard by someone. He missed her voice. Sesshomaru looked at the window and got bored with watching the birds after about 30 seconds amazed that she could have watched them for so long and so silently.

"Would you like to watch T.V.?" She gave him a blank look. She didn't really care. She wouldn't mind doing something else but she didn't want anything distracting him for his work that's why she had been so quiet. He stood up and walked over to the T.V.

"Come here." She obeyed instantly.

"Sit." She did. He turned on the T.V. to a random channel. There was some show about a blue cat chasing a mouse. He was amused when the mouse had hit the cat in the face with a frying pan. (A/N: A cookie to anyone that can figure this show out…) She also laughed softly. He decided he would leave it on this, and went back to work. Every once and a while looking up when she laughed quietly at something the mouse did to the poor cat. When the phone rang he was almost tempted to break it. Kagome jumped at the noise and relapsed back into silent mode watching the show with dull eyes, snapped out of her own happy little world.

"What?" He barked into the phone.

"Sir, the CEO from Takahashi Inc. is here and is requesting an audience with you." The voice was shaking; Sesshomaru could almost see it in his mind's eye.

"I will be down shortly." He hung up not waiting for a reply. He walked over to the miko and sat down beside her.

"Kagome." She looked up at him.

"I have to go downstairs for a meeting, you are allowed to use anything you wish in this room but you are _not_ to leave it. Clear?" He said sternly.

"Hai." She said softly. She was going to continue watching this show anyway. It was amusing no matter how many times the cat was brought down he always got back up to go after that clever mouse.

'Kind of like how I used to be.' She thought. He stood up and walked to the door.

"I will be back shortly, do not worry." She nodded. He walked out and locked the door behind him. He wasn't going to take any chances. When he was gone Kagome let out a small smile.

'Lord Sesshomaru is so kind. I will find a way to repay him.' She looked around. She went to the kitchen.

'I'll make him lunch.' She decided.

_With __Sesshomaru_

'This _CEO_ had better be prepared. I will not let him off the hook so easy.' When he stepped in the normal conference room his eyes widened, and then narrowed into almost slits.

"Hello, _brother_." He hissed.

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**A/N: Sorry guys this chapter is so short compared to my new length but my mom is yelling at me to use the computer I had to wrap it up somewhere. My next one ****be much longer PROMISE!!**** I'm going to start it as soon as my mom is done. ****Until next time…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


	19. Chapter 18: Enter Inuyasha and The Dance

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to …ALL THOSE WONDERFUL REVIEWERS!!… I feel as though I'm doing GREAT with 97 reviews, that's more than I had ever expected to receive so thanks to all those reviews out there for making my day!! Also this chapter is dedicated to elemental573, Lady Safire for their suggestions to the story. Right onto the story!!... **

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's Beast **

Chapter 18

Enter Inuyasha and The Dance

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His beast was trying to take over and it was taking everything in his will power to restrain the urge to shed this person's blood that was standing in front of him.

**It's him the one who hurt mate!! KILL HIM!! **His beast snarled. It was so enraged it wasn't mentally speaking right.

'You know as well as I do that we cannot kill him here, there would be consequences. Do you want to put mate through that after everything she has already been through?' He question although he himself was ready to slit this half-demon's throat at any misstep he might take. His beast snarled one more time but faded with the threat of killing him when he was alone. He whole-heartedly agreed.

He had not seen Inuyasha in centuries. The last time he had seen him was the day after Kagome had disappeared down the well. Inuyasha had been under some sort of trance and had attacked. He was effortlessly batted away. When Inuyasha was injured to the point of death the dead miko that had been on the side lines, uttered some chant and Inuyasha took off into the night sky with her. He had hunted down his brother many times after that, but was never found. Until now…

"You are the CEO of Takahashi Inc.?" Inuyasha could only nod mutely. He hadn't known that the most prosperous business was owned by his _brother_. He had been trying to avoid him for centuries and had succeeded, but now it was all for nothing.

"You kn-know wh-what, I d-don't think thi-this part-partnership would be best for u-us. I-I should g-go…" Inuyasha stuttered packing his stuff in the process. Sesshomaru watched him stride out the door and followed from a safe distance. As soon as Inuyasha was out the door he was pulled into a nearby alley, with inhuman speed and could only take one guess who the demon was that had pulled such an act in broad daylight.

"You are in over your head this time hanyou." Sesshomaru snarled. His eyes were already a dark crimson red.

"Wh-what are y-you talking ab-about Sesshomaru." He had never seen him like this. He had lost all control of his beast. When he spoke next his voice was deep and gravelly.

"**The miko is hurting because of you**." Sesshomaru flexed his knuckles preparing to take his head off in one clean swipe. The only thing stopping him was Inuyasha innocent confusion in his scent. The real Sesshomaru slowly started to take control.

"The miko…KAGOME! You know where she is!! She's still alive?!" Inuyasha lost all nervousness at the mention of Kagome. Sesshomaru was officially lost.

Kagome had told him that Inuyasha had betrayed and broken her, the scar was proof. But then Inuyasha seems to not even rememeber what he did to Kagome, and he wasn't lying there was only pure confusion and joy at hearing Kagome might still be alive in his scent. Now wasn't the time to dwell on such things though. His beast was still fighting to behead Inuyasha, but he first wanted to figure this puzzle out.

"Get out of my sight hanyou." He released his neck and stepped back, prepared to march right back to his miko.

"Kagome, where is she? I want to see her!!" Inuyasha shouted. Thank god the alley was dark, because Sesshomaru could clearly see the confused faces on the humans walking by with his demonic sight.

"No. You will leave and I will not catch you anywhere me or my company, and especially the _miko_. Or there will be dire consequences." Sesshomaru was losing his patience.

"You know where she is. TELL ME!!" Inuyasha's own eyes were starting to bleed red and jagged stripes were appearing on his cheeks. Sesshomaru slammed him into the wall, knocking him back to reality.

"She is no condition to see your face. Do not push me Inuyasha this is an argument you _will not win_." He snarled in his face. He then pivoted on his foot and walked back onto the busy streets, positive Inuyasha would no longer follow.

'She's in no condition to see me. What does he mean by that? I will find you Kagome! I'm coming don't worry!' Inuyasha thought determined. He strode out the alley with a new bounce in his step. Kagome was alive. He knew this was her time, but from his information she had died in the feudal era so long ago. But she was alive and all that mattered was finding her. Right now though he was going to avoid his brother, he was obviously livid, with him for some reason _other_ than taking over his company.

'I still don't know what possessed me to do that in the first place.'

_With Sesshomaru_

He stepped on the floor to his office.

'What is that smell?' He sniffed the air twice.

'Food. Kagome must be…' He rushed over and opened the door, afraid of what Kagome might have done in the kitchen. He knew she could cook and very well at that but with this Kagome, things might be a little different.

He stepped into his office and visibly relaxed. There were so signs of fire or anything of that sort.

"Kagome." He called out. He heard an 'eek', someone slipping and then a splat. He hurried over to the kitchen. He almost laughed, but didn't knowing it might make the miko even more depressed.

She had been carrying the no cooled pizza she had been cooking, to the other side of the kitchen where the plates were. She hadn't expected Sesshomaru back so soon, so when he had called out her name, she had been surprised and tripped. The pizza landed on the floor and her face in the pizza.

She lifted her face up, embarrassed and ashamed. She couldn't even cook a simple meal without screwing things up. Sesshomaru sensing where her thoughts were heading from her aura picked her up bridal style, mindful of the pizza and set her down in his chair. He grabbed some napkins and cleaned her face off. He would have someone clean the kitchen later.

"Gomen nasai, milord. I was trying to cook you lunch but it seems I cannot even do that right. I will go clean now." She whispered. She made a move to get up but Sesshomaru pushed her right back down.

"It is fine. You tried your best and that is all that matters. I will have someone clean the mess later. You know it smelled really good, I think I will have you cook a pizza for me at another time." He said. He was trying to make her feel better but it really was the truth. He did not usually eat pizza but hers smelled delicious. She nodded her head. If Lord Sesshomaru wanted pizza she would cook it anytime.

Sesshomaru stood up,

"Well since the pizza was ruined _by my fault_," he said, seeing her put her head down, "We will go out for lunch. Come." She stood up and followed him out of his office. He grabbed her hand.

Kagome once again started trembling when they stepped into the elevator. Sesshomaru again pulled her into his chest, and started stroking her hair, it worked last time. She calmed down some, and fisted her hands in his shirt.

"Where would you like to go for lunch?" He asked trying to take her mind off the outside scene.

"Anywhere you wish milord." She replied.

"Do you want to go somewhere in particular?" He tried again.

"No, anywhere is fine." He sighed, then he got an idea, he would bring Kagome to a pizza parlor. Maybe if she was in a more…friendly…environment rather than the stuffy atmosphere of a 5 star restaurant, she would open up more. She seemed to do better when they were at the mall, than when they were at the beach.

He placed his arm around her waist when they got off the elevator, ignoring the swarm of females.

'I should have them fired.' He thought. He called for his limo and waited about 15 minutes for it to arrive.

He pulled Kagome on his lap once they were inside. She tensed.

"Relax." He whispered in her ear. She let herself ease back. Sesshomaru wrapped his arms around her. She let a content smile grace her lips, but then quickly squashed it. Sesshomaru caught it though and felt like he was making some sort of progress.

'She does good with physical contact.' He deduced.

Kagome really liked this demon. He was so kind to her, and cared for her very much. She felt so…safe…in his arms.

'I will try harder for him. He is trying so hard to get me back to my old self. I don't know if that's possible, but I will try much harder to make his life easier.' She decided. She let her arms rest on top of his. Sesshomaru smiled even though she wouldn't see it.

They pulled up to a small pizza shop about 15 minutes later. They walked in and Sesshomaru picked a seat by the window.

"What kind of pizza do you want?" He asked.

"Whatever kind you wi..." Kagome started but was cut off.

"I asked you a question and I want it answered. I'll ask again what kind of pizza do you like?" He all but commanded.

"Extra cheese." She mumbled under her breath.

"I will be back. Do not move." He stood up and walked over to the counter to order. They sat in silence until the man behind the counter called out "Tashio" and Sesshomaru went to go get it. He wasn't used to having to get up and get his own food, it was a new experience. He set the box down in front of them.

"How many slices do you want?"

"Whatever pleases…"

"Two it is then, I expect you to eat it all." He smoothly interrupted. He placed the food in her plate. She looked at it as if wondering if it was what he really wanted, but after hearing a warning growl from her lunch partner she quickly decided it was fine to eat and took a bite.

5 minutes later found ¾ of the box eaten. Sesshomaru had only eaten one slice.

'She was hungry.' Sesshomaru thought incredulous. She had used table manners.

'But that poor pizza never stood a chance.'

Kagome noticing the look was quick to apologize. She was still really hungry and she couldn't figure out why. **(A/N: Remember she was in that cave and hasn't made up for all those lost calories and stuff plus she doesn't remember what happened from the time she fell asleep to the time she woke up) **

"You were hungry, there is nothing to be sorry for." He stood and cleared the mess. He hadn't really liked the pizza so didn't eat more than necessary. She opened her mouth, most likely to apologize again when Sesshomaru's cell phone rang. He sighed, fate just refused to let him have a moment's peace with Kagome.

"Speak." He commanded.

"We-well Sess-sesshomaru-sama the-there is a re-reception being held in ho-honor of that new actress's suc-success in her movie to-tonight. You have been in-invited sir." He stammered over the phone.

Sesshomaru stole a quick glance at Kagome who was looking at a couple walking by holding hands, smiling at them. Was it too early to bring Kagome to these functions? She would have to be exposed to the public sometime. Now was as good a chance as any, but could her fragile mind take it right now?

'We will attend, but if the miko is in any sort of distress at all, we will return home at once.' He decided.

'I will have to bring her to a designer to get her ready.'

"Miko, I will be bringing you with me somewhere tonight and you must get ready for the event. We must leave now, come." Sesshomaru all but commanded.

"O-ok." She said, not really sure what he was talking about, but she trusted him so whatever he was bringing her to couldn't be too bad. He grabbed her hand and called a limo. Once situated he called his most trusted stylist,

"Mastermind of fashion speaking."

"Meet me at my house in an hour I have a new project for you, this piece is _**extremely**_ dear to me. If any harm should befall it, it will be your head. Understood?"

"Absolutely. I will leave now."

"Good." He hung up and sat back in his seat, pulling the miko to rest against his side. He hoped against hope that no more harm would befall his kind little miko. He prayed he made the right decision.

_At the Mansion_

'Ding Dong,' The doorbell rang signaling the arrival of the 'Mastermind of Fashion' or so he liked to call himself.

"Wait here for me." He told the miko. They had been watching the news together, or more like Sesshomaru had and Kagome had been blankly staring at the wall underneath the T.V.

'Ding Dong,' The door swung open, revealing a very _colorfully _dressed man.

"So where's this project, that's so important?" The man asked.

"Follow me." Sesshomaru responded. They stepped in the living room and Kagome looked up. She didn't know Sesshomaru had been expecting guests. She quickly stood and bowed low.

"Hello sir." Kagome said softly but politely. The stranger walked over, took Kagome's hand and gave it a kiss.

"What a lovely woman you are and so polite too." He said looking straight into her eyes, never heading the warning growl coming from Sesshomaru. Kagome blushed, and looked down.

"This is the project Hideo. You _will _take good care of her or it will be _your_ life." He threatened. The man deemed Hideo eyes widened.

"You mean I get to work with this beautiful woman. What a treat!" He cried. Kagome took a step back in surprise. Sesshomaru had asked him to do a number of projects, like designing certain outfits and had even asked him to do his hair once. But never before had Sesshomaru called him for a _woman_.

"Watch where you step Hideo." Sesshomaru growled out. Hideo gave a little shudder. Obviously this girl meant a lot to Sesshomaru. Well he wouldn't be disappointed!

"What's the occasion?" He said now very serious.

"There is a party being held for the success of a new actress." Sesshomaru replied.

Hideo took a moment to study Kagome fiercely, making Kagome blush, once again.

"I will need three hours at least, five the maximum." He stated.

"Fine, I will expect you back here at 7 o'clock on the dot."

"Will do Sesshomaru!!" He called back, already dragging Kagome out the door. Kagome gave a helpless look at Sesshomaru. What had she gotten herself into this time?

_6:55_

Sesshomaru was dressed in a stunning tux, the dark coloring bringing out his pale skin, and unnatural eye color. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. He looked magnificent.

He was anxious.

He couldn't wait to see his miko. She was the most beautiful creature he knew, but with Ariwara Hideo working on her, he was sure that she would be the talk of the party. The clock on the wall behind him 'dinged' to announce it was 7 and he practically flew out of his seat when the doorbell rang.

"Now Sesshomaru dear, you might want to sit down for this one. None of the women I have ever worked on have ever come out quite like this." He led Sesshomaru into the living room. Once he was seated, Hideo waved his hand in a calling motion and Kagome stepped through the door. Sesshomaru had to threaten his brain to tell his lungs to breathe. She looked better than any woman, demoness, mythical angel, any female creature he had ever seen.

She was dressed in a white silk gown that was fitted to her chest and waist then loosely floated to the floor, with the back a tad bit longer than the front so that it would drag on the ground, showing off her figure that would have a goddess green with envy. Her cute little feet had a French pedicure and looked all the more cute in the silver two inch heels. Her hands were covered in gloves that went to her elbows. Her hair was done in a simple but elegant bun, with a couple strands framing her face. _Her face_. The most beautiful thing had ever seen. She wore little makeup, but what she did where brought out her already amazing features. She wore a little blush that brought out her high cheek bones. A little bit of gloss was on her lips making them shine. But his favorite thing was the thin line of black eyeliner was applied and made her stunning blue eyes stand out even more. They were always his favorite feature on her and right now they looked even more beautiful than usual. She had simple diamond studs in her ears, and a small silver purse, to complete the outfit.

His lungs were still defying his wishes to breathe.

She walked over and timidly touched his arm. He sucked in a lungful of air broken from his trance.

"Are you ready to go, milord?" She asked, blushing. She wasn't the only one that was struck dumb by beauty. Sesshomaru looked magnificent in that tux.

He was _oh so tempted_ to tell her absolutely not and kiss her senseless here. He had no desire to share this creature with the outside world. She was his and his alone. But he replied "Yes." Anyway, they were expected to make an appearance. Besides there was plenty of time _after_ the party.

Hideo had made a swift exit the moment he saw that look enter Sesshomaru's eyes. It was unknown and for right now he thought it was better if it stayed that way. He would collect his pay later, not that he was in a big hurry. Kagome was a wonderful girl always polite and willing to do anything you say if it would make things easier. Her look had cost a lot less than any other woman he had done. She had picked the less extravagant looked and settled for the simpler things.

'But she still took Sesshomaru's breath away.' He thought satisfied with his work. He got in his car and drove home.

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Sesshomaru took Kagome's hand and helped her to the limo. She was obviously inexperienced in this kind of stuff, because she was having a hard time walking in the heels. She also kept tripping over the dress until she got fed up with it and pulled it up, holding it with her hands. Once they were seated in the limo he asked her an innocent question.

"How do you feel?" She looked up surprised he would ask such a thing, but then smiled at him brightly and answered,

"Like a princess milord." He was still a little sad she still spoke to him like a servant would but was happy that she felt better about herself.

"Again, I want you to stay close to me. Do not stray from my side." He ordered.

"Of course, Lord Sesshomaru." She responded. She hadn't planned on leaving him anyway.

-----------------------------------

They pulled up in front of the red carpet. A guy opened the door and Sesshomaru stepped out first. Before he pulled her out he whispered in her ear,

"Don't be afraid." She wondered what he meant. Once she stepped out of the car, she knew exactly what he meant and wanted to dive right back in.

The paparazzi were everywhere. Flashing lights and screaming, was all you could see and hear. She looked to Sesshomaru, he seemed oblivious to all of it.

'Or he's just ignoring it.' She thought to herself. He gave her a small reassuring smile that only she would be able to see. She gave a shaky smile back and they started to walk down the red walkway. She stumbled every once and a while, but Sesshomaru was always there as support, keeping her from making a complete fool of herself and Sesshomaru. Finally they were inside and away from all that ruckus.

She felt really tiny and insignificant now that she saw where they were supposed to be staying.

The room was enormous. It was a huge hall that had crystal chandeliers hanging from a couple places. There were tables scattered everywhere, except for the middle of the hall that was cleared out for dancing couples.

'Even the table cloths look more expensive than my entire wardrobe.' She thought depressed.

There were caterers going around to random people to ask if they wanted to try…whatever it was that was on that dish. But the most amazing thing were the people occupying the room.

They were dressed in extravagant dresses and suits. Talking and mingling as if this were nothing but a five year olds birthday party. She would never fit in with these people.

Sesshomaru could feel Kagome fidgeting on his arm. He could tell she was nervous, and he could understand why. She was used to the bargain racks at the store while these people went out of their way to make sure they bought the most expensive thing there. She would spend her money to buy other people things and be happy that theirs were better than hers. These people would try there hardest to out buy everyone here. But the biggest difference between these monsters and Kagome was that Kagome cared. She did good deeds. These actors, businessmen, etc. hired people to do their good deeds. They cared for nothing but themselves and their money.

"Sesshy-kun!!" A voice cried out from somewhere to his left. He didn't even want to turn around and confront the evil devil's spawn, that would give the impression that he cared.

"Lord Sesshomaru, that girl over there, I think she's calling you." Kagome spoke softly. It was hard to hear her over the orchestra playing.

'I could always say I never heard her calling.' But he knew that wouldn't work. Everyone knew that Sesshomaru senses were the best. He turned to the side somewhat not fully facing her and hiding Kagome from her view. He didn't want anything to spoil this night.

"What do you want Sakura." It was that same blonde girl that was at the office earlier. Kagome noticed absently.

"Oh Sesshy-kun, I thought you weren't going to show. I got all dressed up for you and everything. He raised an eyebrow,

"Indeed." Why did the girls kept thinking he went for sluts. He would rather have a classy woman rather than one that like to show herself off to the public with no shame. The red dress she was wearing only covered enough so that she wouldn't be arrested for being nude in public.

'Who invited her anyway?' He thought to himself. She couldn't make her a very stimulating conversation, the only thing she had going for her was beauty. But even that was questionable. She wore so much makeup she could have been wearing a mask. Just then all of _Sakura's_ friends huddle around him and Kagome. They either didn't notice her or seemed content to just ignore her.

Before he could stop her she stepped around him and extended her hand,

"Hello Sakura, I'm Kagome. You have a very beautiful dress, I wish I was pretty enough to wear something like that." Kagome said softly looking at Sakura's forehead rather than her eyes. Sesshomaru looked at Kagome with a look that said, 'You are clearly prettier, but you would never be caught in something like that.'

She slapped her hand away.

"Of course you wish you were, who doesn't. Who are you anyway?" Sakura said with her nose up in the air.

"I think she's the girl that was with Sesshomaru at the office." One of the girls piped up. Sakura gave her an up-and-down look.

"Sesshomaru you can do so much better than her. How about you come dance with me? It would show you who you really need by your side." Sakura would never admit it but she was jealous. She had been after Sesshomaru for years, and he turned her down every time. Then this girl shows up at a special event and Sesshomaru didn't even take the time to look at her while the girl was clinging to his arm and he wasn't doing anything about it.

He felt a growl start up in his throat.

**How dare she insult our intended like that!** His beast snarled. It was still worked up over the Inuyasha incident.

"Go ahead Sesshomaru, I'll just sit right here. I won't move. Promise. She looks like she really wants to dance." Kagome let go of his arm and sat down at the closest table. Sesshomaru was about to demand her to return to his side, when Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the dance floor. Everyone looked at him expectantly. Surely he wouldn't deny such a pretty girl a dance. He stood stock still for a moment as if considering when he heard someone whisper,

"I told you he was gay now pay up!" One of his associates spoke up.

'Just one dance, I can get through this!' The music started up and they moved to the beat, at least Sesshomaru did,

'This girl is one horrible dancer.'

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Kagome was sitting there humming along to the music the orchestra was playing when a man,

'Demon.' Kagome realized, came over and sat down next to her.

"Hello lovely lady my name is Ishiguro Hiroyuki, and it is a pleasure to meet you." He said with his hand extended and a dazzling smile gracing his lips. He certainly was a handsome demon. He had dark brown hair almost black and blue eyes. Kagome concentrated a little harder, he was wearing an illusion spell. She saw through it and gasp. He was right up there with the Western Lords looks. He had ocean blue hair with black and white streaks in it. His eyes were a stunning shade of silver, with some light blue mixed in. His lips were full and he had a very…masculine…nose. The white tux he was wearing complimented his demon looks rather than his human ones. "Ocean Demon." She whispered unaware she had said it out loud. She extended her hand,

"The pleasure is all mine, my name is Higurashi Kagome." She blushed when he brought her hand up to his lips and placed a small kiss on the glove.

Hiroyuki was shocked. He had felt the small amount of energy in her and thought that in this age such powers would be dormant. But she had seen through his spell and had even been able to pinpoint what kind of demon he was. She certainly was special. Even her aura was calming to him, it was a swirling blue right now.

"Well, Miss Higurashi would you like to grace this Ishiguro with a dance?" He said again with that beautiful smile upon his lips.

"Please just Kagome." She mumbled. She didn't think someone like him would ever pay attention to someone like her but here he was asking to dance.

"Alright Kagome, would you like to dance?"

"Well…ummm…you see…" She stuttered he was such a beautiful creature, and she was acting like a 7th grader all over again.

'Why can't I do anything right?!' She was angry at herself and embarrassed at the same time. Not a good mix.

Hiroyuki thought it was cute.

'She's adorable when she stutters like that.' He smiled, and pulled her unresisting form unto the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around his waist after he placed hers around his neck. He started to lead her and she followed smoothly.

'She is a very good dancer.' He thought. Suddenly she gasped, and a look of horror was on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked with genuine concern, this girl obviously had something really troubling bother her if she looked like that.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I promised I wouldn't leave the table!" She said.

'Lord Sesshomaru.' He thought. He hadn't heard anyone refer to him like that in a long time, and never a human. What was this girl?

"I'm sure he won't mind, I will return you right after this dance." He said soothingly. She relaxed some but was still tense. He started to rub soothing circles on her back. These were not meant to seduce but to calm the poor girl. She looked about ready to jump out of her skin. Once her heart stopped beating so fast, he picked up his pace. He swirled, dipped and lifted her to the music. Kagome was having a wonderful time. This Hiroyuki was such a wonderful demon, so pleasant and kind.

Once the music stopped, he walked her back over to the table.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." He said.

"Hai, very much. Arigato!" She said softly but kind. Suddenly someone called his name from over near the bar.

"Well maybe we can do it again sometime!" He said enthusiastically. He handed her a card.

"That is my personal cell number. You can call me whenever you wish to talk!" He said loudly. Then he leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Or maybe something more." Then he stood and walked over to his friend and left a madly blushing Kagome in his wake. She put the card in her purse and sat down thinking of anything to keep her mind off of the handsome demon that seemed to take interest in her.

----------------------------

Sesshomaru was furious. He had seen Kagome and that other demon dance. Kagome's eyes had a light in them that hadn't been there before. He then saw him give her his number, when he announced it loudly to everyone. But he wasn't able to pick up what he had said that made her blush so. On top of all this Sakura wouldn't leave him alone. He snapped.

"Sakura I no longer wish for your company, if you follow me you will be in need for another job." She looked hurt and made a move to follow anyway, but the look he gave her made her reconsider.

He stepped in front of Kagome. She was startled when he heard his voice call out to her.

"Kagome gather you stuff we are leaving." He announced. She could only nod. He didn't sound very happy. What had she done?

On the way out she got one last look at Hiroyuki and he gave her a wink that made her blush again, before they were ushered into a limo.

Sesshomaru was on the verge of losing to his demonic side. No matter where she went or who she was with someone had to challenge him for her. That man was obviously a demon and could smell his scent on her, so he either didn't know him or didn't care.

'Most likely the latter.' He thought furious. 500 years he'd waited to see his miko and he'd be damned to the 7th layer of hell before he let some rookie come in and steal her from him.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the miko's discomfort.

She was nervous. She had only seen Sesshomaru get this angry twice in the feudal era and destruction was not far behind him. What had she done to make him so mad? Was it because she broke her promise to leave the table? She couldn't do anything right and now Sesshomaru's night was ruined. She moved as far away from him as possible in the limo to try to give him the idea she was sorry and wouldn't bother him anymore.

This only made Sesshomaru even more livid. His eyes were starting to bleed red. He pulled Kagome next to him and looked into her eyes. Despite his mood he was tender. He didn't want to scare her more than he knew he already did.

"What's wrong?" He growled out. Her depression was killing him especially since she had been so happy a second ago.

**But she was happy with that other male!! **His beast roared. For once he agreed with the beast. How dare he move in on his territory!

Kagome was frightened, if she didn't do something soon, Sesshomaru was going to lose himself and that would not bode well with the rest of Japan. She flipped and reversed her whole mind searching for a solution.

The first time he was like this was when Rin was hurt and a mindless killing spree had eventually calmed him enough to rationalize.

The second time was when Kouga had returned and once again staked his claim. Kagome tried to reason with him but Sesshomaru was long gone. Just before he struck down Kouga she jumped in front of him and kissed him. This had given Kouga enough time to get away and recover.

She had…kissed…him. Oh Boy!

There was no forest for him to destroy so she had to go with plan B. By now Sesshomaru had been taken over and was fighting himself to not kill.

She placed both hands on either side of his head. This got his attention. She looked into his eyes for any sign of rejection or disgust, finding none she leaned up and timidly placed her lips on his. He gasped and she pulled back thinking he was repulsed with her, but before she could get too far he pulled her back and crushed his lips onto hers. Her eyes widened but she didn't resist. The red started recede and she sighed in relief. Sesshomaru had money but he would need more then that if he would have destroyed half of Tokyo. When Sesshomaru's eyes opened to reveal his normal golden color she tried to pull back but with his hand wrapped up in her hair he made it incredibly difficult. He allowed her to pull back and get a deep breath of hair, but then pulled her right back in for another kiss. This one was more tender and filled with more passion than brutal force.

He manipulated her mouth into opening with his lips, and then he tasted her. He gave a low pleasing growl when she slowly started to respond. She timidly pushed her tongue against his and gasped when he put more pressure to the back of her head. Seeing that he liked it she fought harder. She gained entrance to his mouth when he pulled back. When she accidently skimmed her tongue on one of his fangs, and started to bleed, he nearly came undone again. He sucked on her tongue until the bleeding stopped and the wound closed. When the need for oxygen became too much of an issue he allowed her to pull back.

She looked beautiful. Her hair was wrecked from where he had been tugging and her eyes were foggy. She was panting for breath and he had never thought she looked so good.

He was also panting for breath. Even shy, his miko was one hell of a good kisser.

He laid back into the seat and pulled her to his side. His arm wrapped tightly around her. They sat in silence until the car pulled back up to the mountain cabin. He went to tell the miko they had arrived when he noticed she was sleeping. He climbed out and picked her up. He held her in one arm while he opened the door with the other. He threw the keys on the table and brought her to his room.

"Wake up little one." He said gently. She stirred. Her eyes were filled with exhaustion when she finally got them open.

"You should shower and change before you sleep." He pointed to the bathroom and she stumbled into it. While the shower was running he ruffled through her clothes and picked out a pair of baby blue boxers and a white tank top.

He knocked on the door to the bathroom, and then walked in. He placed the clothes on the counter and took the dress that had been thrown on the floor. He hurried out of the room when he heard the shower turn off. As much as he would have loved to see that image he knew it would only embarrass the miko.

He changed into a pair of silk sleeping pants and pulled off his shirt. He waited on the bed patiently for his miko. He smiled when she came stumbling out of the bathroom. He stood and led her safely to the bed. He pulled the covers back and tucked her in when she was situated comfortably.

"Goodnight little Kagome." He whispered and placed a kiss on her forehead. She smiled in her sleep. He quietly left and closed the door to the room. He needed to meditate, he had lost control over his demonic side too easily today and needed to reinforce the barrier. He could have slaughtered many without another thought and would have exposed demons everywhere. He sat down in the on a sheet he had brought and placed on the grass behind his house facing the mountains. He sat on his feet with his hands on his knees and closed his eyes.

'You realize what you did today was stupid and could have caused worldwide panic.' He said to his beast.

**I don't care that male was overstepping his bounds and I will not tolerate it. **His beast shot back.

'Let me handle it. He was obviously a business man and in this world we crush with our minds not our strength. You are sadly lacking in that department. I can have his business crushed and sold to the highest bidder in a matter of days. And yet you could have made me tear up half of Japan.' He argued.

**I don't care!!** His beast was beyond reasoning so he said the only thing that would make him reconsider his actions.

'You could have hurt or worse _killed _Kagome.' He snarled. His beast recoiled in thought and then gave a mental whimper of apology.

'Let me handle things in this world. When we are secluded away from prying eyes I will let you handle some situations.' He reasoned. His beast grumbled but submitted.

'Good.' He stood and gathered the sheet. He tossed it into a corner to be cleaned later. He settled down in the bed beside Kagome and wrapped an arm around her waist. She turned in her sleep and snuggled into his bare chest, he smiled. He closed his eyes and started to drift off.

He was content with the way things had turned out today.

.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.Morning.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.

'Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Ding Dong.' It just wouldn't stop. It had been going off for about an hour now and he had ignored it and coaxed is body back to sleep he didn't want to give up his position just yet.

'Ding Dong, Ding Do…' "What?!" He snarled when he opened the door. His first reaction when he saw who it was, was to rip her head from her shoulders. Only the thought of how much his miko might be upset on finding a headless body at the front door stopped him from following through on his homicidal thoughts.

"Oh Sesshy are you still mad at me for what happened all those years ago. You have to let it go sometime."

"Leave." She had never heard him speak to anyone that way before, and he was talking to her so cold.

She made a move to go inside, but Sesshomaru stepped in front of her path blocking the entire doorway.

"Won't you let me in Sesshy darling. It took me two hours to get here won't you at least be a gentleman and let me sit some."

He was going to reply with an absolute "NO," when someone pushed up from under his arm and outside.

"Of course you can come in; we'd love to have some company!" Kagome said as cheerfully as she could. She was raised to always invite people in if they had come to see you, no matter how much you dislike the situation.

"Go inside Kagome I will be with you momentarily." He ordered.

"I'll go make some tea for our guest!" She scampered back under his arm and towards the kitchen before disappearing behind the wall.

"You listen here you little monstrosity, if you hurt Kagome in any form be it physically or mentally I will have blood. I know many great lawyers that would be able to cover for your death, so I have _no_ regrets." He lowered his tone so that it wouldn't be heard by Kagome. He stepped aside and allowed her entrance. She was shaken by his threat but she would have him even if it meant going through a couple ups-and-downs to get him. She sat down in a kitchen chair and crossed her legs giving a glare to the girl that was bouncing around the kitchen making tea.

"So I don't think I've ever met you before, my names Higurashi Kagome. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said softly. The woman took her hand and let her illusion spell disintegrate, hoping to scare the little human away from what was hers, but her plan backfired. She dropped her spell and Kagome stood up with wide eyes.

'Sesshomaru had lived this long what made me think that she wouldn't.' She thought.

"H-hey th-there. H-how have y-you be-been _La-lady Hanako_?" She hadn't forgotten what she had done to her. That was one of the main reasons she was a horrible person. She could only pray that the kamis decided to show her some compassion and make her punishment as painless as possible.

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**A/N: Well another chapter out and for the public to view!! Hope you liked it!! Like I said the length was longer. Peoples I need your help, with ideas. I have no clue where I want to go with the story for the rest of her time with the future Sesshomaru. If you don't want to I will be forced to come up with some on my own, so the chapter may take a little while longer to come out, because I'm so busy. I do give credit where credit is due! If you give me an idea your name will be posted so people know where I get my inspiration from. Well anyways you guys reviewing makes my heart SOAR!! LOLSz I never thought I would get so many!! I love you guys and will be working on the next chapter as soon as I come up with an idea!! Until next time… **

**AristocraticAssassinLover **

**Peace 1**


	20. Chapter 19: Words Will Never Hurt Me!

**A****/N: Alright people and we're back with another chapter. I feel like crying I've reached over 100 reviews!! Thank you all!! This is dedicated to ****thihn**** from a-single-spark. Her review brought something to my attention and I wish to change it. So hope you like this chapter as much as my others. ****Onto the story…**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 19

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones But Words Will Never EVER Hurt Me!! Never Again!!

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Sesshomaru could sense the fear in Kagome's scent and aura. He was just about ready to forcibly remove _Lady _Hanako in the most painful way possible when the tea kettle whistled. Kagome jumped into action.

She poured Sesshomaru and Hanako and sat down across from her. Sesshomaru abandon his seat at the head of the table to sit next to Kagome. There was a dead silence surrounding them with only the outside creatures making any type of noise.

Then Sesshomaru's cell phone rang, startling Kagome so much she knocked over her tea cup.

"Sorry I'll go clean it now." She whispered, even though she was happy to find something to get her out of that thick atmosphere.

"Speak." Sesshomaru commanded. He was getting angry. No matter what happened something always had to interrupt his time with the miko.

"Mr. Tashio sir, one of the new assistants that was hired, was caught snooping around in your office. He was a hired spy from another company but will not talk anymore. We need your help." This time it was an older man.

"Deal with it yourselves." He barked into the phone and was about to hang up, when he heard a small voice in the background,

"_Sesshomaru__, your empire will fall. My master will have it all._" Then the voice started to laugh. He hung up.

"Kagome get your stuff ready we are leaving again." He spoke softly. Hanako was jealous. He never once spoke to her like that.

"But milord, I wish to stay here today. I promise not to break anything." She said timidly. He thought about it maybe it would be better if she stayed here and had some time to think about her past and come to terms with it. He had been in her company since the moment she jumped through the well. Some alone time might be good for her.

She didn't look the type to have suicidal thoughts. He could only hope that looks were not deceiving.

"Allowed. I need to go to the office, there is a phone in the den, you may use for any purpose. Call me if I am needed." He said scribbling down his number on a napkin.

"And you, Get. Out." He said venomously to Hanako. She started to whine but than got an idea.

"Whatever you say Sesshy-kun." He gave her a suspicious look; she would never have given up so easily in the past.

She stepped out the door and Sesshomaru followed right after.

"I will be back, do not worry." He called to Kagome, she nodded.

After the sound of the engine was long gone Kagome laid down on the couch. She didn't know she was so tired. She was asleep within minutes.

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'Ding Dong, Ding Dong.' Kagome's eyes shot open and flew towards the clock on the wall.

She had only been sleeping for about an hour and a half, could Sesshomaru be back already. She opened the door and immediately shut it again. Not caring if it was rude.

_She_ was back.

"Now come on Kagome dear, surely your mother brought you up better than that." She cooed through the door. Against her better judgment she opened the door and allowed her in. Certainly she wouldn't be stupid enough to hurt her with the threat of Sesshomaru still fresh. Right?

"C-c-come," She started to stutter. Then she felt a wave of determination. She would get through this.

"Come in." She said, her voice still soft but no longer shaking.

"Your such a darling." Hanako sneered. Kagome knew this wasn't going to be pleasant. Hanako made herself right at home.

It was going to be hers soon anyways. Once she got rid of the miko, Sesshomaru was all hers.

She lounged on the couch and switched on the T.V. turning to some shopping channel.

"Would you like anything to drink?" Kagome asked politely.

Hanako gave her a long look as if considering if it was worth speaking to her.

"Hai, that would be acceptable." She said arrogantly. Kagome marched towards the kitchen. She opened the fridge when she heard a voice.

'Do not let her treat you like this, she is scum.' Said the voice.

"Who's there?" She said quietly. She hadn't let anyone else in.

'I'm right here!' It called back. She looked around the room, there was no one there.

"Hurry up girl!!" Hanako called from her perch on the couch. Kagome snapped back into action.

The voice sighed.

'I am you Kagome, well your conscience to be exact.'

'Great now I'm talking to myself.' Kagome thought even more depressed.

'Whatever. Anyways stop being such a baby. You keep depending on people to be there for you. Take some responsibility. Stop letting people pass right by you or treat you like dirt. After all you've been through, I don't think you should have to put up with that bitch.' Kagome's hand covered her mouth as if Hanako would hear her mental conversation.

'Well what Lord Kisho said…'

'Was a lie and you know it. You never tried to seduce that half-breed in anyway. When you knew he chose Kikyo you kept your distance.' Her conscience cut her off.

'What about Hojo?' She tried desperately trying to find a solid point for her to stand on in her argument.

'He was just a jealous boy who was angry 'cause he didn't get what he wanted. He said those things mostly likely to hurt you and then comfort you hoping to win you over. You've seen that trick before. Except one thing Sesshomaru stuck by you and put up with all you foolishness and he's trying to help you recover, but you're stuck. Why are you so reluctant to believe what he says?'

'I don't …know… I guess I'm …afraid.'

'Of what?!' It cried back.

'I put all my trust in Inuyasha and he threw it right back in my face. I know Sesshomaru isn't like that, but still I'm just don't want it to happen again.'

'Sesshomaru isn't like Inuyasha, and I warned you time and time again that he was no good. You didn't listen to me. He had all the signs of relationship problems, and yet you still went after him. Give Sesshomaru a chance, he's much more trustworthy than any being you've ever met. His whole upbringing was based around honesty and honor.

'You're right I guess.' She said defeated although oddly free. Sure she was talking to herself but she was still talking about her problems and now that it had all been brought into perspective she was acting like this for silly reasons.

Inuyasha repeatedly told her she was useless and couldn't control her powers. But then he had so much trouble with Tetsusaiga and his demonic side. Then there were the times when she was gone Inuyasha was like a lost little puppy. He was a hypocrite now that she thought about it.

Lord Kisho had only said those things in anger. She sometimes said things she regretted when she was angry, just maybe not to that extent. But she had contributed to the issue of Sesshomaru's betrothed and if she was Kisho she would have been furious as well.

Inuyasha was the only person to ever say such things about her, everyone else loved her and wasn't afraid to let her know it. Shippo let her know on an hourly basis. She was strong now and had even graduated high school with all those absences, she had become a miracle. She now had a new outlook on life and was going to think things through before acting so rashly.

"You little insignificant pest, how long does it take to get your guest a drink? Can't you even do that right?" Hanako said entering the kitchen.

'Now show her who's boss…' The voice faded away.

"Get. It. Yourself." Kagome said coldly, with a fire burning in her eyes. Hanako didn't even notice.

"Do not speak to your superiors with such disrespect." She stepped forward and pulled her hand back and made a move to strike Kagome.

Kagome caught her wrist before her hand could make contact and sent bolts of miko energy shooting up her arm.

"You are not my superior, you never were. I am stronger than you will ever be and I am sick and tired of you treating me so poorly, if you utter one more word of disrespect towards my person you will not like the consequences." Her voice was like ice cutting into Hanako with every word.

Hanako was afraid although she would never show it to this girl.

'How could she go from so broken to so furious in 15 minutes?' She thought.

"Leave." Kagome said calmly, getting her emotions under control, her eyes were still flashing a violent electric blue.

"You c-can't t-tell me wh-what to d-do." Hanako tried to be brave but her aura was flaring and her powers were starting to nip at her skin in the most unpleasant way.

"I'll tell you one more time then you will be removed by force. Get out." Hanako scurried out of the room and to the door, fiddling with the knob in a rush to get to safety.

"If I ever catch you around Sesshomaru or myself again, you will hate your parents for ever conceiving you." Hanako had finally got the door open and flew out towards her little porche. Kagome watched with satisfaction as she started her engine and roared down the street. She stepped back and closed the door.

She felt free. No longer caring what other people thought about her. People continued to try and hurt her, only few had done it on purpose and those that did meant little in society. She had a Western Taiyoukai after her in the feudal era and a rich multibillionaire after her in the future. That had to say something about her worth.

She'd be damned to be Satan's personal secretary before she ever let anyone get to her like that again.

With a new hop in her step she prepared to make herself lunch and a little extra in case Sesshomaru came home.

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Mac & Cheese never tasted as good as it did now. With her new attitude even the food tasted better. Sesshomaru should take her to one of those fancy restaurants now!

The phone started to ring, snapping her out of her daydreaming of all the delicious foods she would order.

"Hello Tashio residence, Kagome speaking." She said with confidence.

"Kagome?" Sesshomaru asked surprised. What had he missed? He was even sure she would answer the phone but she sounded as if she was a whole new person. He didn't know how right he was.

"I was in the middle of eating Sesshomaru, what do you want?" Both of his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Well whatever happened he'd thank the gods because she finally had her spirit back. But her attitude needed a little adjustment.

"Well Kagome I was going to invite you to eating lunch with me at a restaurant but since your already eating…"

"I'll be ready when you get here." She hung up. She grabbed a jean skirt that had pleats and a white RocaWear baby tee, and hopped in the shower.

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Sesshomaru stared at the phone with the dial tone ringing in his hand.

She hung up on him.

She really hung up on him.

_Nobody _hung up on _him_.

'Well it seems that she is now ready for her first punishment.' He thought with glee. He was sick of obedient Kagome. He wanted the spitfire back that he could push to the ends of the earth and then have her turn around at the edge and pull him down with her, if she couldn't maneuver herself enough behind him to push him over.

He also always loved torturing her.

The way her aura would flare and prick his skin and she would let out those sometimes surprisingly good imitations of a growl, it made his most inner instincts surface and gods he loved every second of it.

He gathered his notes that he would study at the house. The spy had been cryptic but had still given answers. He would figure out who he worked for and they would be dealt with swiftly. Besides just being there he could see that Sesshomaru Tashio in person would be enough to weasel information out of him.

He walked to the front desk and told the secretary he was leaving, this time determined to stay out of the office for as long as possible. He would pick the miko up in a little while he had a couple stops to make first.

.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.2 Hours Later.:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:..:-:.

Kagome could hear someone at the front door.

'Finally.' She thought. She rushed up to the front door to meet Mr. I'm always on time. It was now a good hour past lunch and she was starving.

Sesshomaru opened the door to find an amusing picture of Kagome standing there with her feet shoulder width apart and her hands on her hips, with a scowl of annoyance on her face. She could have looked somewhat intimidating if she didn't have a butterfly on her skirt and the RocaWear symbol written in pink on her shirt.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked amused.

"Actually yes there is. I have been sitting here for 2 hours hungry as a dog, and you are taking your sweet time shopping if those bags in your hand have anything to say." She finished her rant with a nod.

"Well then we'll just have to fix this problem won't we."

"You're darn right we will. You are going to take this Kagome to the nearest food place and get her the most expensive thing on the menu." She put a finger to her chin, appearing deep in thought. "And then you are going to feed me the expensive food by hand." She said happy with her answer.

He definitely loved this new Kagome.

But what made her change so?

"Kagome," He started hesitantly not wanting to burst her bubble.

"What happened while I was gone?"

"That little tramp Hanako decided she wanted to order me around well I showed her who was boss!" She purposely left out the details concerning her talking to herself and when she at first was ready to jump to Lady Hanako's every command.

Sesshomaru could tell there was more to the story but if she wasn't ready to talk about it then he wasn't going to push it.

He set the bags down, and turned on his heel.

"Come." He started to walk to the limo but when he couldn't hear her following her turned back.

She had her hand crossed under her chest and was tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yes?"

"Do you really expect me to walk all the way to the limo, certainly you cannot expect me to do something so below my station." She arched an eyebrow as if to prove her point. She was being absolutely silly but she couldn't care less. She was having a blast teasing Sesshomaru and she felt fantastic!

"Well then your majesty how do you suppose we fix this little transportation issue?" He asked hiding his smile and taking on a look of mock seriousness.

"Isn't it obvious I need a pack mule to carry me." She looked to her left then to her right.

"Well there doesn't seem to be a suitable anywhere nearby so you will have to do, be gentle I bruise easily." Sesshomaru couldn't hold back the chuckle.

"Yea ma'am." He walked over and slung her over his shoulder.

"I thought I said be gentle! You should be punished for your insolence! I am not a sack of potatoes put me down and carry me right this instance!!" When she saw she wasn't making any progress she poked him in his side, with a miko charged finger. He flinched somewhat and not from pain. Her eyes widened in surprise then narrowed into evil glee with her newfound advantage.

The great _Lord __Sesshomaru_ Taiyoukai of the Western Lands and owner of Tashio Inc…

Was

She poked him again and he snorted.

"Cease and desist woman before I drop you on your head." He snatched her hands and held them to her sides when she didn't stop. He opened the door to the limo and tossed her in, following right behind her.

She started laughing.

"Driver take us to the nearest five star restaurant."

"Yes sir."

He tried to ignore the bubbly laughter for a short while but it wouldn't stop. It was now 7 minutes and counting.

"What is it you find so amusing?"

"Your, your, YOUR TICKLISH!!" Her laughter reached a whole new volume.

"I am no such thing. Dog demons have very sensitive sides and bellies. That is the only reason why I reacted so." He defended himself.

"No you were trying to hold back laughter when I poked you that's a sure sign of ticklishness!" She finally gasped out after she had to stop and breath.

"I am not tickle…" He gasped and then bit his tongue to hold back the childish laughter brewing in his throat. He was having a hard time to control his laughter and breathe especially with Kagome attacking his sides. She seemed to know the exact spots that would make him laugh harder.

She wasn't feared by little kids all around town as the Tickle Monster for nothing. No child she had ever baby sat had ever been the same again, after being assaulted by the tickle monster.

"Stop," He gasped. "Woman!"

"No!" She started laughing even harder at his inability to talk. He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head with one of his larger hands. The other he used to extract vengeance.

Kagome was laughing so hard by the time the car pulled up in front of the restaurant that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"I said -gasp- I was -giggle- SORRY!!" Sesshomaru finally stopped and Kagome took a minute to catch her breath. She had just met her challenge that might be able to take away her proudly earned title. He was merciless and those claws of his when used right gave him the advantage over her blunt human nails.

"Of course you are. Now for the little stunt you pulled earlier you will now be hand feeding me." He declared. She snorted.

"Yea right and pigs will fly."

"There are some pig demons that when mated to other species sprout wings." She glared he had her with that one. The door opened and they stepped out.

It was a very fancy restaurant and Kagome felt very self-conscious once she got a good look at the place.

'No. I don't care what they think, I was born who I am and there's nothing they can do to change that!' She lifted her nose up in the air in a very good imitation that most of the other women do.

Sesshomaru stole a side glance at her. She was uneasy but refused to show it.

"Lets go."

"Right, onward to the food!" She said with false cheer. They stepped inside and all heads turned towards them.

"I have reservations under Tashio." Sesshomaru said.

"Right this way," The overly perky waiter led. She was eyeing Sesshomaru like a piece of meat, he noticed this and grabbed Kagome's hand, pulling her flush against his side as they walked. There were multiple gasps and everyone's eyes were wide.

Even with the few women that Sesshomaru was with were out in public with him, he never made contact in public.

Kagome was blushing like mad. There were looks of envy, surprise and even scorn thrown at her and Sesshomaru only made it worse when he pulled her next to him. She was nervous and was fidgeting, then she felt a calm feeling start from her neck and spread throughout her body. She looked down wondering what it could have been. Sesshomaru reached down and touched the chain around her neck.

"It doesn't have to be only for punishment, there are other uses for this chain." He whispered in her ear. She blushed.

It was true. The chain was main purpose was for punishment but it was connected to his soul directly. The burning she felt when punished was a direct form of his youki the chain was emitting. He could also conduct his emotions through the chain, which is probably why she was able to read him so easily, although she probably didn't realize it. It could also be used as a soothing charm, when Kagome is agitated. She didn't know but when she slept he would let the 'calmness' roll off the chain to allow her to sleep better. The chain can conduct her emotions to him to even from far distances so that he would always know when she was in pain or needed help. It also symbolized her importance to him. It was the colors of his house to show who she belonged to and anyone with enough knowledge on magic could see that it was binding her to his soul. It was a multipurpose tool, and although she might not like it when he finally told her what all of its properties were she might not feel such contempt for it. That was for a later date though, most likely when she fully accepted the concept of mating with him.

They were led to the best seat in the house, (of course,) with him being Tashio Sesshomaru and all, a cozy table by the indoor koi pond. Sesshomaru sat down facing away from the rest of the public. When Kagome sat down in the other seat Sesshomaru made an impatient noise from the back of his throat. He stood and commanded her to stand. He then moved the seat sitting right next to him.

"Now sit." The seat were so close that their legs were touching and when Sesshomaru took a sip from his glass of water his arm brushed against hers.

He scanned the menu, he wasn't really hungry so didn't take a whole lot of time to look.

"What do you want?" He looked over at Kagome. She had a look of intense concentration on her face.

"I don't know what any of this stuff is!" She suddenly declared loudly, making many customers look over towards them. She gave an embarrassed smile.

"I will order for you then." He plucked her menu from her hands and waited for the waiter.

"Whatever." She replied, she would never admit that she was embarrassed, sure she didn't eat stuff like this all the time, but she didn't even know what the names of those dishes said!

The waiter came by and Sesshomaru ordered for them both. They sat quietly both deep in thought while they waited for the food.

"Your food sir." He said placing down some delicious smelling food.

"Thank you." Kagome said, flashing the waiter a smile. Sesshomaru could feel the little monster called jealousy start to show his head.

"That will be all you are dismissed." He said coldly. The waiter nodded and scampered towards the kitchen.

"That was mean." Kagome stated, following the server with her eyes. He ignored her comment and his current feelings.

"You will feed me." He said instead. Kagome gave him an are-you-serious look. She eyed him and then decided that it wasn't worth a fight it wasn't like she knew any of the people here. When he opened his mouth she placed what she thought was chicken in it. He chewed and swallowed. She looked away. He was just so _sexy_ when eating.

"Open." Kagome gave him a confused look. He rolled his eyes and forcefully but gently opened her mouth and placed some rice inside. All the chatter in the restaurant ceased.

The girl feeding Tashio Sesshomaru was strange but not out of his nature. He was used to having people do things for him.

_Tashio__Sesshomaru _feeding _the __girl_, was completely and utterly out of character for him. Wide eyes watched as they took turns until the dishes were empty and still looked on in awe when he paid and they both exited. A whole new round of gossip erupted when they were sure he was well out of ear shot.

---------------------------------------------------

"Did you notice how quiet it got in there?" Kagome asked cautiously. It had not been loud but everyday conversation, but when Sesshomaru started feeding her you could hear a pin…no…a dust bunny being dropped. Her breathing had sounded like a man-eating demon to herself. She was flustered and embarrassed.

Unsurprisingly Sesshomaru didn't seem notice or just wasn't inclined to care. It wasn't fair how much control he had. She wanted to bolt from her seat and find the nosiest place in Tokyo, but he seemed to be enjoying the complete silence.

She shrugged it wasn't like there was anything she could do about it.

"Where would you like to go next?" He asked. She thought for a moment. That was a tough decision.

She was with the wealthiest person in Japan and he was giving her the choice to go anywhere she wanted. She wasn't greedy, but she wasn't stupid and about to let this once in a lifetime chance slip away.

"How about…the movies, no, the amusement park, no too many people…" She muttered to herself. Suddenly she cried out,

"The ARCADE!!" That was the perfect choice. She loved the games but always ran out of the little funds she saved up pretty quickly. She gave a sly look to Sesshomaru. He wouldn't mind if he was parted with a couple hundred quarters right?

Sesshomaru sighed, he was hoping for something less _populated_ and more quiet. She seemed to pick the one place that would cancel out both properties.

"The arcade it is then." The driver pulled a couple blocks away from the arcade, too much traffic and not enough parking spaces. They would have to walk the rest of the way.

They stepped onto the crowded sidewalk. Kagome was nearly bouncing in anticipation. The moment they were clear of any pedestrians and the door was in sight Kagome took off in a dead sprint. Sesshomaru slowly followed in after her.

The look on her face once they were inside was like a little kid in a candy shop.

'Maybe this won't be as bad as it seems.' Sesshomaru tried to convince himself.

Then a loud noise that would have made him jump into a defensive stance if it wasn't for his perfect control went off signaling that someone had won the jackpot, the sound was ringing in his ears. Kagome looked back and could practically taste his agony.

She leaned up and whispered in his ear,

"Don't worry, I don't want to stay for long. Maybe three or four games and then we can leave." Sesshomaru sighed in relief. When he nodded to show he heard and understood her, he blinked and she was gone.

Growling to himself he spotted her over at the change counter. He would have to keep a close eye on her in here. With all the loud noises and flashing lights, and her obvious obsession with these machines was sure to prove to be one exhausting afternoon. He stalked up to her.

"How do you expect to get change if you don't have any money?" He asked haughtily.

"Well then what are you waiting for? You are the only one that has it right now so cough it up!" She said with her hand outstretched.

'Well things can't get much worse.' He thought defeated. But he had doomed himself the moment the thought entered his brain. A little boy with an ice cream walked by spilled some on his pants.

'The miko is no longer picking our activities.' He decided.

"Hurry up Sesshomaru!!" She cried tugging on his hand.

'Well at least _she's _having a good time.'

---------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: Not my usual length but not really short…Don't have much to say except I hope you liked the chapter I guess…Until next time…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


	21. Chapter 20: IIInuyasha!

**A/N: Don't have much to say this time…So ****Onto**** The Story!!... **

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 20

I-I-I-Inuyasha!!

-------------------------------------------------------

"You will never again pick where we journey." Sesshomaru said sternly, glaring at the woman sitting across from him in the soft leather of the limo.

"Oh don't be so crabby, you know that kid with the soda didn't spill it on you on purpose, or the kid with the ice cream for that matter. Besides it was worth it look at this cute little puppy dog I won." She replied while proudly holding up the white and purple stuffed dog she had won with 500 tickets.

He glared at the dog and then turned to stare out the window.

"Well where are we going now?" She asked.

"To my domain so I may shower and change, after that I will decide on something else to occupy the rest of our day."

"Ok." She said. They pulled up in the driveway and started up to the house.

"You know you had a fun day with me." She said slyly.

"Perhaps." Was his cryptic reply. She huffed and continued walking up the mile long path to the main house.

"Well thanks anyway."

"Hn."

He punched in the code for the security system and stepped in the house.

"Go and shower as well. Just because your scent is not displeasing does not mean the rest of society is as clean as you." He pivoted on his foot and disappeared around a corner.

"Sure thing your majesty. Anything for you sir." She mumbled sarcastically. She started heading towards her room.

_25 Minutes Later…_

"Now I _know_ I passed that vase at least three times, I'm going around in circles!!" She cried.

"A little lost." An amused voice called from behind her. She spun around and sighed in relief at her savior.

"It's not _my _fault that you decided to make your house imitate a maze. I know I took a left this time when I took a right last time and I still ended up at the _same_ vase." She huffed.

"Then I know it's doing its job."

"What?"

"I am one the most famous beings in the world right now; it never occurred to you that people would attempt to steal from me."

"Yea, well what about that 50 digit pass code you need to get in here."

"You exaggerate, it's 27 and the more stupid ones have attempted to scale to fence, only one has ever succeeded and he got so confused in my house he found me and asked to be arrested."

"Whatever, just lead me back to my room!" She yelled annoyed.

"No need to shout darling you'll wake the neighbors." He said sarcastically. She now had his eardrums ringing.

"Just show me the way to my room."

"Follow me." He turned around and started heading back in the direction she had just come from.

_Her Room_

"I knew it was a right and not a left at that first gold statue!" She thought unaware she had said it out loud. Sesshomaru smiled a little at her antics.

"Hurry and shower I expect to see you in the dining hall for dinner in 20 minutes."

She stormed off.

"Who does he think he is ordering me around like he owns the place?" She mumbled to herself and then giggled.

'He _does _own the place.' She hopped in the tub, and sunk down in the soothing waters.

'He can wait for me, I feel like taking a nice warm bath rather than rushing for his majesty in a 30 second shower. It will take me 20 minutes to find the dining hall.' She relaxed with the jets blowing water at her.

_30 Minutes Later (With __Sesshomaru)_

'Where is that onna?' He was annoyed. She was late. He _hated _when people were late. Just as he was about to get up to go and fetch her she strolled through the double doors as if there wasn't a care in the world.

"What took you so long?" He growled out.

"I was relaxing for the first time since I got here; don't get your boxers in a twist." She said.

"You _do _wear boxers right?" She added as an afterthought. She preferred them over briefs.

"Yes, would you like to see proof?" She blushed, he smirked. She rushed over to the seat to the left of the head.

"Well I'm hungry so sit down, shut up and eat." He shook his head and sat down in his seat. He snapped his fingers and the servants filled in all carrying delicious dishes. As soon as Sesshomaru took a bite she dug in.

That poor food didn't have a chance in hell. She devoured it like a starved lion deprived of food for weeks.

Kagome leaned back and sighed. She was clean, full and content.

Sesshomaru blinked. And then blinked again.

She had eaten well over 6 different dishes in 4 minutes. He had taken 6 bites.

At least he would never feel ashamed about his eating habits. Even in his demon form his eating wasn't as…voracious…

He placed his chopsticks down. He wasn't disgusted by the miko by any means…but he had lost his appetite.

'She must still be making up for all that lost energy.' He hoped. If she ate like that on a regular basis then she needed etiquette lessons. While he was used to her others might not adapt as well.

"Well I assume you are finished eating."

She gave a content sigh.

"The night is still young; do you want to watch a movie?"

"Hai, ok." They walked into the living room and Kagome sat down on the couch. Sesshomaru walked over to the DVD rack.

"What movie do you want to watch?"

"Something funny." She was still having nightmares about The Grudge.

"Do you understand English?" He asked.

"Hai."

"Then we will watch Norbit. I myself have not seen it yet but heard from others it was 'gust busting funny.'"

"Ok, put it in."

Sesshomaru sat down and pulled Kagome to his side. He put an arm around her waist and her head resting on his shoulder.

_20 Minutes into the movie_

Sesshomaru wasn't really paying attention to the movie; he was focusing more on Kagome's sweet laughter. To him the movie wasn't even really funny, but she seemed to find it hilarious.

The Norbit character had just got smacked by Respusha for suggesting that she had gained weight and again her laughter filled the large space. He was relaxed and content until the doorbell rang.

Kagome looked up in question. She didn't know he had been expecting guests. He sighed.

The Kamis just loved to mess with him and Kagome didn't they.

"Stay here I will be back shortly." She shrugged but went back to watching the movie.

He walked to the door. He was _oh so tempted_ to kill the person on the other side.

"What do you want?" He said his voice tight with barely controlled anger. How dare this imbecile come to his territory without permission. Maybe the humans of this era were unaware but this particular person knew perfectly well the laws of demon society.

"I know you have her in there and you _will _allow me to see her!" He half-yelled.

"Keep your voice down. There is a reason you are not to see her. It would not do for her to find out you're here."

"Let me in Sesshomaru, or by the gods I will _kill _you."

"You would never accomplish such a task and I will not let you by. Leave." He snarled.

"No, not now that I finally found out something about her! She here and I will see her!" He snarled back, his eyes starting to tint red.

"Would it help any if I told you she wasn't here, and that I have no clue who you are talking about?"

"No 'cause I know you would be lying I saw her picture in the paper, sitting with you at some fancy restaurant! Let me in I can smell her scent!"

"The person in there is not the one you are searching for." He tried one last time to get him to leave without hurting him. It was taking all those centuries of self-control lessons to keep from decapitating this annoying pest right now.

"Leave!" Sesshomaru said his voice dropping to a deadly sound.

"No she's in there and you will let me pass!"

_With Kagome_

'What's taking him so long?' Kagome thought. His aura reeked of anger and agitation, so why didn't he just tell the person to leave?

When he didn't come back for 5 minutes she muted the volume on the T.V. to see if she could catch what was happening. Sesshomaru was angry before, now he was _furious_.

She could hear his voice and one that sounded oddly familiar to her arguing but couldn't quite hear what they were saying.

'Maybe, I should check things out?' She went to get up but then hesitated. It really wasn't any of her business and it's not like Sesshomaru couldn't handle himself.

"Leave!" She heard that one, and Sesshomaru sounded like he was going to kill the person on the other side of the door.

"No she's in there and you will let me pass!" The familiar voice shouted. That got her attention. Whoever it was sounded like they were looking for her. The servants had all already left for the night so she was the only she in the house.

She would see what this person wanted because clearly Sesshomaru wasn't going to let him in. He was also being awfully rude to this person and she wouldn't let Sesshomaru get away with that in her presence.

She stood and headed towards the door which luckily wasn't far from the living room.

'I wouldn't want to get lost and then have to deal with a murder because I wasn't there in time.' She hurried her pace.

When she got there she couldn't see the person because Sesshomaru body was blocking the door. All she could see was his back.

'A nice smooth back from my view.' She giggled at her perverted thoughts.

When she let out the sound all attention snapped to her.

"She's behind you let me see her!" The man called again.

"Go to your room!" Sesshomaru said sternly to her, without turning around.

'He can't order me around like this!'

"Who are you talking to Sesshomaru?" She still couldn't see and now she knew it was because Sesshomaru didn't want her to.

She racked her brain for a solution. Why wouldn't Sesshomaru let this person in? And his voice sounded so familiar like she had heard it a million times before, but for the life of her she just couldn't place it.

"No one now go to your room I will be up shortly." He turned to face her somewhat this time. He was losing his patience with the miko. She was being stubborn but now was not the right time!

Then Sesshomaru had the wind knocked out of him. With all his attention on Kagome he didn't notice the punch aimed for his gut.

'The dirty bastard.' He thought. The person pushed right passed him.

"Finally." He said. Sesshomaru was on his knees catching his breath and couldn't stop the confrontation about to happen.

'I knew I should have killed him when I opened the door.'

The stranger turned to Kagome. She blinked she knew him from somewhere. Then slowly his hair faded from black to white and little puppy ears popped up on his head. There was a bright light and when it faded Kagome would look back on a later date and know she had gone into shock.

She shrunk back and started to slowly inch towards the corner like a trapped animal.

"H-hey th-there I-Inu-Inuyasha."

----------------------------------------------------

**A/N: Well for those of you that didn't get ****Inuyasha****was**** wearing a concealing spell to look a lot like his human self. I know I haven't updated in a long time but I was just so busy!! I was reading through the reviews the other day and I ****cried. There were so many. That's what really pushed me to hurry up this chapter. I know it's short but I felt like I had to get _something _****out to you guys, I wrote this in all of one sitting I sat down and didn't get up (to even use the bathroom) until I was done. I will try to make the next one a lot longer. ****Thanx**** again guys for all those wonderful reviews and again contributions to the story are welcomed and wanted. ****Until next time…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


	22. Chapter 21: Oh Boy!

**A/N: HEY PEEPSZ!! I'M BACK!! It's a scary thought. I decided that I was spending too much time on my other story and left all of you guys that read this story in the dust. So from now on I don't update on story without a chapter for the other one. EVERYONE'S HAPPY!! Ok I just got back from a party and I think I had **_**way**_** too much soda. I hope it doesn't affect this chapter…Ok enough blabbing onto the STORY!!**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 21

Oh Boy!!

-------------------------

"H-hey th-there I-Inuyasha." Kagome stuttered nervously.

"Kagome, it really is you." Inuyasha whispered softly.

'Why am I stuttering like a nervous twit? I thought I was over this. I guess it is true old scars run deep. I have to stop, he won't hurt me again. Besides even if he tries Sesshomaru looks pretty pissed right now and probably wouldn't have second doubts about murder.

She stood up taller and stuck her nose higher up in the air.

"You won't hurt me again, Inuyasha. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I have no wish to see you right now." She said determined.

"But, Kagome…"

"Leave."

"You don't under…."

"Get. Out." This time Kagome had murder flashing in her eyes.

"Kagome, I don't know what this bastard here has been filing your head with, but I would never hurt you. I'll come back later when you feel better." He walked to the door, and just before Kagome closed it she whispered,

"You did it once, what's to say you won't do it again?" She shut the door in his face leaving him to ponder the statement on his own.

----------------------

'What does she mean by that? I've hurt her?' He gasped.

'Kikyo lied to me, I probably scarred Kagome badly, that explains why I was exiled from Sango and Miroku's village. I'll go pay a visit to her now. She's has some explaining to do, not only is Kagome alive but apparently I was the reason everyone thought she was dead.' Inuyasha walked off with an angry gait.

Someone was going to have hell to pay.

That someone being a person that should have been in hell long ago.

-----------------------

Kagome slid down the door crying. Sesshomaru rushed over.

"What is wrong?" He said softly.

"He doesn't remember. He nearly killed…no…tried to kill me and he DOESN'T REMEMBER!!" She wailed.

"Kagome, my deranged brother obviously has issues that you cannot control; you can't let it get to you." He said sternly.

"You want to know something?" He then whispered. She nodded.

"You handled yourself well. You have proven yourself even stronger. It takes someone strong to hone their physical capabilities to a powerful extent, but it takes someone even stronger to hone their mental capabilities. You have done both. You are able to defeat someone of my caliber on the battle ground and you just faced the person that had you at death's door. By yourself I might add. You have succeeded in something that most humans…most demons would have failed in." He finished in a soft tone.

She giggled. He shot her a confused look.

He praises her, to an extent that even his father would never had expected from him,

And she _**giggles**_.

"What may I ask is so amusing?"

"That has got to be the _longest_ string of words I have ever heard you utter in the entire time of existence that I have known you. You are very fond of three word answers."

"I am not."

"You prove my point."

"You're acting ridiculous."

"Again, my point still stands." She said with a giggle. He growled in response. He picked her up and she let out a squeak. She was thrown over his shoulder.

"Now I know I have been in this position before." She muttered.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You will know when we get there." He responded.

So she hung there on his shoulder until they stopped in a dark room.

He tossed her into the air and she landed on something soft. She hoped it was a bed although she couldn't tell because she couldn't see anything.

"You will remain in here until further notice. You need time to think about your actions towards my person. I will return in the morning with your breakfast."

She then heard the door click, and then…silence…

She stood and searched the walls for a light switch.

"Ah Huh!!" She cried triumphantly. She flicked on the light switch and found herself in a …laundry room…

"Oh he is _sooo_ gonna get it!" She muttered while she searched around for any means of escape. Finding none and figuring out that the door was locked she jumped onto what she thought was a bed but turned out to be a basket of clean clothes. She laid back and closed her eyes thinking about what happened tonight.

She had stood up to Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru had praised her.

And she felt so much better, as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She opened her eyes to gaze at the ceiling. She noticed a vent, big enough to probably fit a person in.

She got an idea.

Stacking all of the baskets with clothes or no onto eachother, she was almost able to reach it. Stretching she unclasped the cover and tried to feel for something to grab onto. About a foot higher and the vent turns to be horizontal. She jumped down and searched the cabinets in the washroom. Finding a flashlight, probably there for emergencies she climbed back onto her clothes mountain. She stuck the end of the flashlight in her mouth, turned it on and then jumped up and grabbed the ledge of the vent. Pulling herself up she squeezed into the tight passage.

"Thank god I'm not claustrophobic." She said to herself. She started down the long passage.

Crawling on her hands and knees with the flashlight in her mouth she giggled. She felt like she was one of those top secret spy agents.

After crawling for what felt like forever, she saw a fork in the tunnel. She stopped at it.

'Left, or right, left or right…' After arguing with herself she came up with the logic that she was right handed and therefore her natural pathway in life was to head right.

Again crawling in almost absolute darkness, she came to an opening in the vent, peering down she saw Sesshomaru at his study desk…painting…

'Perfect blackmail!' She thought happily. She continued on. After three other forks and a three way spilt she found herself in a very scary part of the house, at least it seemed that way. The air around here felt different.

She continued to crawl down the passage, when she suddenly felt herself falling. Knowing better than to scream as it would give away her hiding spot, she bit her lip. Bracing herself for impact she sighed in relief when she landed on something soft. After regaining her lost equilibrium, she shined the flashlight onto what had saved her from a very hard and painful landing and nearly screamed.

It was a rotten and decaying body, in fact there were a lot of those in this room, as she shined the light around.

Did Sesshomaru know about this?!

Against common sense she decided she would check this out, _alone._

She was walking around the large space when she nearly tripped over a bump in the floor. Looking down she saw a tunnel that was dug past the floor and deep down into the earth.

'Should I go??...Yea let's do this!!" She started down the long and winding passage. She passed many dead bodies and most of them decaying and already showing the skeletons on the inside.

What was this place?!

Continuing down the tunnel, she came into a large dome looking room. It was filled with what looked like pods. She got closer to them.

"It looks like some sort of bug demon." She whispered. She took a better look around.

There were hundreds of these things. They weren't very big about the size of a newborn baby, but the sheer number of them was great.

She noticed another hallway tunnel thing and started down that. She walked a long time until it took a sharp u-turn and started back the same way she just came. Walking down this hallway she stopped in what looked like a treasure chamber.

There was gold, silver, platinum, tiara's, crowns, even diamond studded cloaks. There was everything down here.

"Maybe I should take something…you know for evidence…" She muttered. Whatever was down here was certainly strange. It well off enough to afford a place on the top of the Earth so why was it living in a dark dirty place like this.

'It must be a hideous, deformed creature.' She thought to herself.

She continued down yet another hallway and came across something that could probably be a throne room. There was one chair placed in the middle of the room.

Just when things were starting to get interesting, her flashlight started to flicker on and off.

"Shit." She cursed; there was no way she would be able to see down here if it died. She shut it off and tried to think of a solution.

Her hand started to glow with her miko powers reacting to her frustration.

"Prefect." She said. Letting her powers flow to her hand she held it outstretched in front of her and continued on. As she walked farther she started hearing noises. She felt a presence, closing in on her and flattened herself to one of the tunnel walls. Two _scary _looking demons walked by.

'Maybe I should head back.' It was starting to show signs of danger…

When did she ever let danger stop her.

She walked briskly hoping to avoid anyone else like that and saw that the tunnel opened up into a giant…city…

There were hundreds of demons down here, ranging from hideous to beautiful.

She couldn't feel anything other than a dull hum against her senses. This many demons should have her leaping out of her skin.

Ducking behind one of the houses, she stealthily made her way through the city and what looked to be the heart of it.

She stopped behind one of the market place stores and watched as a man in a dark cloak covering his face, decapitated another demon.

"Let this be a warning to any that dare trespass on my lands."

She took that as a cue to get the hell out of there!

She sprinted quietly through the city, making sure to stay in the shadows. When she saw the entrance to the tunnel she had come from she nearly leapt for joy.

Just as she was leaving the outskirts of the city a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She stiffened afraid to turn around and even glance at the monster gripping her shoulder.

"I see now, you're a miko and a powerful one at that. We don't get many of those down here." A smooth almost velvety voice spoke to her.

Slowly she turned around to face her fate and in a brief moment of insanity thought it might not be so bad.

Sure she was trespassing and might probably be sentenced to death, but the being that was probably going to be her executioner was absolutely _**gorgeous**_!!

"Hey there…ummm…I was just heading back…you know to where the rest of my kind are…" She muttered under her breath.

"No I don't think so I rather like you, you have guts. I'm sure you saw the hundreds of _human_ bodies that littered the ground on your way here, and yet you still journey onwards." He made a motion with his hands and to spider demons came over and grabbed her hands.

"Take her to the dungeons in my castle, I will speak with her later." He turned around most likely to leave but then turned back and said, "And be gentle, I don't want her to break." He added as an afterthought.

They lifted her off the ground and started to walk away with her, she opened her mouth to scream.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, you have walked miles underground no one but the demons in here would hear you and just because I do not wish to eat you does not mean the more…hungry…demons would not." The black clothed man called back.

"You won't get away with this!" Kagome hissed.

"Enjoy your stay in the Youkai Undergrounds!" He called back in maniacal glee.

'I _knew_ I never should have gotten up from that couch. I should have just watched the end of the movie…' She thought depressed.

She really got herself into some _**bad**_ situations…

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**A/N: ****Ok guys**** I re-read this chapter and I REALLY had too much soda. It's so far off my original plot for this chapter. Oh well…I don't really have much ****coherentness**** going through as you can tell from me just using the word ****coherentness****. Well tell me what you guys think of this new twist from the story. At least I have something new to work with because the story was getting ****kinda**** old to me. ****I have I headache I should probably go lay down…Anyways tell me what you think. Until next time (hopefully for you guys I won't be drunk off of soda)…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


	23. Chapter 22: Youkai Underground and

**A/N: I know that my last chapter was a little crazy what can I say, I wasn't thinking straight and some of you guys might be confused. Have no fear I know exactly where I want this new idea to lead to so don't worry. All will be explained over time just like everything else in my stories (I like to draw things out a lot ****LOLSz****). Oh and just to answer some of you guys questions…**

**Fanfiction**

**LadySafire****: Yea I know it's crazy but don't worry I ****kinda**** like what I came up with and I think I can work with it also she didn't go back to the village or make contact with Sango, ****Miroku**** etc. (At least not yet) They think she died. She will go back to the past when her month is over. I think in chapter 14 it was ****Sesshomaru**** said he would return for her in a month. So far in my story it's been about a week and a half, although now that I think about it I may send her back early. Not sure, but I hope this answers your questions and bear with me (if you want) I will try my hardest not to disappoint!!**

**shadowblade-tara****: I know your confused as I would be if I read this chapter and did not know what was coming after. Don't fret some of it will be explained in this chapter and more in the next one. It will all fall together in the end. So I guess you'll just have to keep reading. ****LOLSz**

**A-single-spark:**

**LilacFairy108: Again I know it's weird but I know what I'm doing (I think ****LOLSz**** Just kidding) ****And**** yes she was supposed to heal mentally over the course of 30 days. I can't say too much more or else I'll reveal more than I want to. Don't worry I have everything under control.**

**------------------------------------**

**Also to Nagai Oni ****Hime****: You pointed out that I have run on sentences but I can't find them. I'm not saying you're wrong but even my spell check on my computer can't find them. If you could just tell me which ones exactly or some of them so I can fix them, because my grammar is important to me and I can't find the sentences. I don't want anyone to have to deal with that****. S****o yea, just tell me where. ****Plz**** and ****Thanx**

**And Diane: Yes I'd love for you to be my beta. I don't know if you got it but I sent an email to you. So ****ummm****…Just tell me what to do and stuff…yea…****Thanx**

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**Well I think that's it for the questions ****and stuff. A****nd guys don't be afraid to ask or send me an email I hate reading stories that confuse me so much I give up on them. So just ask and I'll answer as much as I can without giving away the plot or info on the next chapter. So for those of you that are sticking with me here's the next chapter!!...**

" "...Talking

' '...Thoughts

_Flashback_

**Sesshomaru's**** Beast **

Chapter 22

The Youkai Underground and a Familiar Face

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"_Where is that girl?!_" Sesshomaru had made his way back to the laundry room about an hour ago and she _wasn't _there. From the open hatch leading to the vent it was pretty obvious how she got out, but where she was now was the question.

Right now he was tracking her scent as much as he could. He had turned on the AC to blow her scent through the open vents so he could tell where she had been last.

'That girl is going to…'He was cut off from his thoughts when he walked into…

…What had he walked into?...

There was nothing there, except air and a wall. He reached out a hand, and ran it across the solid air in front of him.

'A barrier.' He realized. He expanded his youki to the point of almost transforming and watched the barrier flicker and then dissipate.

Immediately he felt the surge of youki energy. A door appeared in front of him. He recognized the door, brown mahogany door with a gold knob.

'I thought I had this part of the house torn down...' He thought.

This was an interesting development.

He opened the door and the scent of dead and decaying bodies overwhelmed his senses. He spotted the tunnel even in the darkness and knew where the miko was.

This _couldn't _be** good**.

-------------------------------------------

"You can't keep me locked up in here forever, my boyfriend will come and you'll be sorry!" Kagome yelled.

"Your boyfriend, you mean that sad excuse for a dog demon, that lives in the house that guards our little town." The dark clothed man calmly replied.

"Just how were you guys able to hide something like this anyway?" Kagome asked suspiscous.

Sesshomaru wouldn't let these demons live down here…right?...

"I was hired by your boyfriend to tear a part of his house down. I had been looking for another area for an entrance to the Youkai Underground for a while, it was just a stroke of luck that the most hidden and guarded area in Tokyo needed some construction. With some midfications and a little bit of magic, the back entrance to the Underground was in the wing of his house that was to be torn down. He shouldn't be able to get through the barrier never mind being able to make it down here, to save you."

"You don't seem very hesitant to give up this information to a complete stranger."

"It's not like you'll being doing anything about it, so I see no problem giving you a little insight to your situation." He stood up and walked over to her from his seated position on the other side of the dungeon. He gripped her chin and forced her to look him straight in the eye.

"In fact I think we'll be spending a lot of time together from now on." He gave her an evil smirk. She ripped her chin from his grasp.

"Just what do you mean by that?" She hissed.

"Well you don't have anywhere to go, and I need a queen. We both require something so why can't we help each other out?"

"_**Never!**_"

"You'll see it my way eventually. I mean you can't exactly live down here for the rest of your life, surely you'll want something more," he looked her straight in the eye, "and when you do, I'll be sure to provide." He then walked out of the dungeon and locked the door behind him. As soon as he was out of earshot Kagome pulled against the chains binding her hands to the wall.

"Sesshomaru _**will**_ come!"

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As Sesshomaru made his way further down the tunnel he realized that this must have been part of the Underground.

He had known about the Youkai Underground, but had never actually journeyed to it.

It housed many demons that either could not hold their human appearance for long or could not make one at all, making it impossible for them to live amongst humans. They were ruled by one called Toseki, a demon that had no distinct species. He could have been kitsune or neko for all anybody knew.

It was rumored that he was antonishingly strong.

No doubt where he found Toseki he would find Kagome. She always seemed to get herself into the worst kind of trouble.

He sped up his walk. He would have run but he was not stupid. To rush into unknown territory being outnumbered and outmatched would prove to be disastrous if not fatal. He would have to take in inventory and survey his surroundings before he could act. The miko had survived for four years on her own in the Feudal Era, certainly she could survive a couple more hours on her own.

He walked through the tunnel and stopped in awe at the bustling city before him. There had to be hundreds if not thousands of demons down here.

'I didn't even know this many demons had made it to this time.' He thought.

What was worse was that he couldn't scent the miko anywhere. These demons either had a natural bad smell or didn't believe in bathing. This would be harder than expected.

Heaving a great sigh he walked right into the thick of the city.

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'56 bottles of beer on the wall, 56 bottles of beer take one down pass it around 55 bottles of beer on the wall…' Kagome sang in her mind. There wasn't much else to keep her occupied in this cell.

There was that rat infested skeleton to her right and a dead but not yet decayed body to her left.

All in all they didn't make much for a very stimulating conversation.

"Well I see you're keeping yourself busy." The dark clothed man was back.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?…now look you made me lose count."

"Well I just thought you'd enjoy some company." Kagome looked up.

"Well…"

"Toseki."

"Well _Toseki_, as you can see I'm quite content the way I am, so I'd rather not bother myself with the trouble of having to entertain another one of your guests." Kagome said sarcastically.

"So feisty." He walked over and kicked the skeleton away from the chains on her right.

"He's not very lively right now anyway, just see to it that when he wakes up that he is not to harm you in any way." She rolled her eyes and he finished securing the body in the chains. She couldn't tell what it was. It was so dark in here all she could see was the whites of Toseki's eyes.

"Whatever." Toseki nodded once and then left.

"So what did you do?" She asked to the demon to her right.

No response.

"Right I thought you'd say something like that…oh well…" She was deep in thought for a moment, then had a look of satisfaction on her face.

'55 bottles of beer on the wall…'

-----------------------------------

Sesshomaru slammed yet another demon up against the wall. He may have been outnumbered but the theory of being outmatched was completely proven wrong. These demons, even the ones in human form were weaker than him as a pup. It was amazing they survived throughout the years.

"Tell me have you seen a human girl walk through here?" He gave a little shake to make his point.

"N-no si-sir." He let the sad excuse of a boar demon drop to the ground.

That was 5 down and hundreds to go.

"Hey." Sesshomaru spun around to the voice. An ugly looking demon that didn't have any features to tell exactly what type of demon it was motioned for him to come closer.

"You're looking for a girl right; long black hair, blue eyes, a miko if I'm correct no?"

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes,

"Hai, that's the girl. Can you tell me where she went?"

"That kind of classified information doesn't come without a price." The demon said smugly. Sesshomaru let some of his poison leak from his claws.

"I didn't come here to haggle about information. You will tell me where she is or," He placed a glowing hand near the neck of the demon, "you will be incapable of ever speaking again."

The demon gulped but then told him about the scene that had happened earlier. Sesshomaru growled.

Of course the girl would have to go and find trouble with the leader of these monsters.

"How do I get to this palace of his?"

"I don't know." The demon said curtly. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.

"What I meant to say was, I don't know how to get there after you arrive at the maze, surrounding his palace, to the east of here." Sesshomaru nodded to him and pulled some money out of his pocket.

"Your services are appreciated." He said and started off to the east.

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"Dinner time." A massive bull demon called out and stepped into the cell. He placed a tray with food in front of Kagome and then one in front of the unconscious demon.

"He's still out is he? I took him down myself. Tricky little demon he was. He should have never stolen from the master himself. He will probably be sentenced to death _if_ the master is feeling generous." He said to himself. Kagome rolled her eyes. What kind of demon would steal from a place like this?

…no scratch that…

What kind of demon would _want_ to steal from a place like this? Granted she had only seen a glimpse of the actual castle as they had carried her through the halls, but it didn't seem the type of place to hold something of actual value. Most of the priceless things she had seen were in that treasure room on the way here.

"Well missy milord said to make sure you ate, so dig in." He said to Kagome. She looked him straight in the eyes. He stared back.

"Well," He said irritated.

"_Well_, my demon pal if you haven't noticed, I seem to be a little tied up right now." She replied, just as irritated.

The bull demon had the sense to look embarrassed. He cleared his throat.

"Right." He walked over and unlocked one of her wrists.

"If you try to escape, there will be consequences." He said seriously.

As if that would scare her.

But she wasn't stupid. Maybe he wasn't strong but that one name Toseki was strong, maybe a match for Sesshomaru. She wasn't going to get past him on her own. She looked at the food in front of her.

It looked edible. She studied it, as if that would tell her if it was safe to eat. She shrugged and took a bite.

She was immune to most poisons and the ones she wasn't were just as easily purified from her body. After deeming it safe she ate the whole plate. She would need her strength for her escape plan.

After she was finished without warning her hand was again chained to the wall. After that was done the bull demon just up and left.

She glanced over to her cell mate, and listened hard. Its breathing was shallow but there nonetheless. It would most likely awaken eventually, probably not too happy. She couldn't make out any details about him. There was no light source in the cave other than the light from down the hall shining just a little bit in the cell. He was placed so conveniently on the dark side of the cell and from what she could tell he was wearing dark clothes.

'Probably to blend in when he was caught stealing.' She mused. His outline seemed to be small. Not one of an experienced warrior.

"Hey, wake up!" She called out sharply.

Still no response.

"Well, at least you're able to have some peaceful moments." She sighed.

'I hope Sesshomaru gets here quick…'

-----------------------------------------

'I have been walking for over an hour now and I still can't find the ma…' He stopped at the edge of a cliff and looked down.

'Here's the maze.' It didn't look too big. In fact he would probably be able to hop from each fence to another and get to the castle. He went to jump, but before he reached the gate, he hit a barrier and fell (gracefully) to the ground.

'Of course, they have to make it harder than needed.' He sighed but remembered the layout from the edge of the cliff. With determination he set off into the maze.

The moment he set foot on the stone plated path several demons ambushed him.

'Just what I need.' With a resigned sigh he dropped into a battle stance.

_**"You will not get past us. Even if you manage to do so, there will be many, many more to replace us."**_ The gravely monster's voice called out.

He was wrong these demons would require almost no effort to exterminate. They were pitifully weak. One of the monsters drew its sword.

The battle began.

---------------------------------------------

"Ugh, it feels like I've been run over by a truck." The recently awakened demon said to none in particular.

"No, that would be a bull." Kagome said. The demon sat up as much as he could with his hands bound.

"Yea, you're right." He said absently.

"So what did you do to get chained up in here?" The demon asked.

"I was just looking around but apparently I was trespassing."

"Are you a new comer?"

"Ummm…yea I guess."

"Did you ask permission from the Leader?"

"Ummm…no…"

"Then that's why you were trespassing."

"Oh."

"Yea." The demon said and took a deep breath. He froze.

Kagome felt the demon next to her aura flare in surprise.

"What?"

"D-do I know you?" He asked.

"I wouldn't think so; I didn't spend most of my life here. _Or in this time_…" She muttered under her breath.

It was silent. Both deep in thought.

_'Or in this time'_ echoed through the demon's head.

"Do you perhaps know a girl by the name Kagome?" He asked timidly.

"That's my name, why?" Kagome asked suspiscous.

"Did you happen to travel with a hanyou at one point?" He pressed on.

"Yea, but that's none of your business." She said hoping he would drop the tender subject.

"Ok, just one last question. Did you happen to know a little kitsune named Shippo?" He asked softly as if afraid of the answer.

"Shippo..he was my love, my pride. I never got to say goodbye." She said sadly, the memories of all the good times playing through her head.

There was a sharp intake of breath and then,

"Mama?" Kagome looked over hearing the almost broken cry from this obviously grown male.

She saw a pair of bright emerald green eyes staring back at her.

"Sh-shippo?" She asked, the thought of this being locked up in a cell with her, possibly being her adopted son, overwhelmed her.

"Hai, mama it's me Shippo." He said and then broke down into tears.

"_I found her, she's not dead. I found her…_" He chanted again and again. Kagome hearing this also started to cry.

'My son, I found my son. I will get us out of here, even if it kills me!'

Then she got an idea.

Through her tears she called out,

"Shippo, we have to get out of here I have an idea. Can you still do illusions?"

"H-hai." He said and sniffled.

"I need you to make an illusion of a big scary demon with a sword at my throat, and then play dead. Understand?"

"Hai."

"On the count of three." She said sternly.

"1." She whispered. He whimpered.

"2. Don't be scared. I promise this will work." He nodded even though she couldn't see it.

"3." Shippo made the illusion and then went limp.

Kagome let out a glass-shattering scream.

And then waited.

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**A/N: Okay people I hope this chapter clears some of it up for you. It's not meant to answer all questions yet. In fact it may create more. But I do know where I'm going with this! Ask if you need to and I'll answer to the best of my ability. So she found ****Shippo**** –gasp-. What could possibly be her escape plan? ****And what about ****Sesshomaru**** You'll just have to read and find out!! ****Until Next Time…**

**AristocraticAssassinLover**

**Peace 1**


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